New Subsea Cable System to Boost Connectivity in the South Pacific

TE Subcom is to build a new subsea data cable to connect island nations in the South Pacific. The ICN2 submarine cable project will progress in collaboration with Interchange Limited and will connect the nations of Vanuatu and The Solomon Islands, dramatically improving connectivity in the region.

“This submarine cable link is an important part of connectivity for this area of the world,” said Sanjay Chowbey, president of TE SubCom. “We are pleased to work with Interchange Limited and apply our expertise and regional knowledge to this project.”

The 1,623km cabling system will provide 200G high-capacity access to a number of strategic landing points across the islands. The cabling system will make use of SL14-A1 cables and will utilise Ciena’s Submarine Line Terminating Equipment.

“Interchange Limited is committed to improved ICT infrastructure to communities we serve throughout the Melanesian region. The ICN2 cable project truly supports our mission,” said Simon Fletcher, CEO of Interchange Limited.

“ICN2 is the first CIF submarine cable to the Solomon Islands. With the planned future systems in the region, we feel confident they will be complementary and serve to build a redundant and reliable network. This should provide some confidence to regional investors and datacenter partners.”

The cable is expected to come into service in the fourth quarter of 2019. – Total Telecom