Telstra International, the global arm of telecommunications and technology firm Telstra, disclosed plans to partner with Google and APTelecom to deliver the new Central Pacific Connect Initiative.
This plan is specifically designed to improve connectivity for individuals and businesses of the Pacific. The two cables that compose the central Pacific Connect initiative include Bulikula (connecting Guam and Fiji) and Halaihai (linking Guam and French Polynesia).
For its part, Telstra will be one of the key telco service providers, and will own and operate a fiber pair on the core trunk on the Bulikula cable. The next step will be partnering with other carriers and governments to assist in building and operating branches to the Pacific islands in order to (a) power access to critical regional digital services and (b) improve network performance, redundancy and reliability.
“Telstra has decades of experience providing international connectivity in the Pacific, and with our network scale and local expertise, we are looking forward to partnering with Google and APTelecom to build reliable, high-performance connectivity for island countries,” said Roary Stasko, CEO, Telstra International. “We’re committed to improving infrastructure across the region which will support the future growth of local economies.”
Telstra is also partnering with Google on the Tabua cable, which – combined with the Central Pacific Connect Initiative – should dramatically improve the diversity of paths between Guam to Australia via Fiji and other Pacific islands, as well as between the U.S. mainland and Australia.
For info on future Telstra partner opportunities, click here.