22 Jan 2018

Vocus contracted for Melanesia undersea cable

1:14 pm on 22 January 2018

The Australian telecommunications company Vocus has secured a contract to lay an internet submarine cable to link Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Australia.

ERDF (Electricity Network Distribution France) and Louis Dreyfus company install an electric submarine cable and optical fiber between Quiberon and Belle-Ile-en-mer, western France, in 2015.

Photo: AFP

The agreement was signed with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, which is part-funding the US$2.2 million project.

The Solomon Islands government had signed a deal with the Chinese company Huawei, but that was strongly opposed by Canberra, which cited security concerns.

The Asia Development Bank also withdrew funding for that cable because of a lack of transparency around the procurement process.

After the lengthy negotiations, the Solomon Islands government agreed to the current deal, which will see the 4000km high-speed internet cable.