The American Samoa Telecommunications Authority has launched the Hawaiki submarine cable which connects New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa, Hawaii and the US mainland.
The Hawaiki cable Photo: RNZ / Jesse Chiang
Governor Lolo Moliga said the cable is pivotal for American Samoa's economic development.
The launch at the American Samoa Community College's multi purpose centre was witnessed by government leaders, the business community, educators, the military and customers of the Telecommunications Authority.
The Authority's acting chief executive, Falaovaoto Sualevai, said that slow internet would now be a thing of the past.
She said the increased bandwidth from Hawaiki can also be sold to other islands and they have reached out to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa.
She said the Authority has received requests for capacity pricing from Samoa, which is an indication of the cable's commercial potential.
