Australia is launching a new Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre, to help ensure undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific are resilient and all countries can benefit from reliable connectivity and the growth of the digital economy – but what does one of the cable laying ships look like from the inside?

6 years ago I was invited to tour the Responder, a ship that lays fibre optical cables on the ocean.

Now, Australia is launching a new Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre. According to foreign minster Penny Wong, this work is integral to the prosperity and security of our region. From emails to e-commerce, accessing news, social media and streaming content, we rely on a vast network of undersea cables, which carry over 95 per cent of international data traffic.

Here’s the rest of her statement:

Australia will invest more than $18 million over the next four years in the Centre, which will draw on our extensive undersea telecommunications cables expertise and experience to:

  • Provide technical assistance and training across the Indo-Pacific.
  • Commission research and analysis to support Indo-Pacific governments with policy development, regulations and decision-making regarding undersea cables.
  • Share information and host dialogues to strengthen engagement between Indo-Pacific governments and industry.

The Centre is an important Australian contribution to the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, which is an important demonstration of the Quad’s delivery in the region, responding to the Indo-Pacific’s most pressing challenges.

The Centre is a whole of Australian Government initiative, embedded within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Here’s more on the Hawaiki cable:

Hawaiki Cable spans 15,000 km, linking Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa, New Caledonia, Tonga and other Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Oregon, on the U.S. West Coast.

The Hawaiki Cable System has a initial design capacity of 30Tbps on its trans-pacific route offers, offer the following connecctions: 

  • Australia to Hawaii, 2 fiber pairs, 20Tbps
  • New Zealand to Hawaii, 1 fiber pair, 10 Tbps
  • Hawaii to Hillsboro, 3 fiber pairs, 30 Tbps
  • Australia to New Zealand, 1 fiber, 12 Tbps
  • Branching Unit to America Somoa, 2 fiber pairs, 100-200Gbps
  • Branching Unit to New Caledonia (Tomoo Cable), 2 fiber pair, up to 2Tbps per fiber pair.