By Matt Smith, Mercury
A SYDNEY company has been hired by the State Government to investigate the viability of a $20 million submarine cable to Tasmania.
Supporters say the cable has the ability to change the face of the state’s Information and Communications Technology sector.
North Sydney company Advisian, which will work with local expert Gary Eiszele, has been awarded a $180,000 contract to help determine the viability of the project.
The new contract is the strongest indication yet the Government is seriously considering the proposal.
But the timing of the contract reduces the likelihood that funding for
the cable will be included in the State Budget next month.
Telecommunications infrastructure company SubPartners is building a new undersea data cable that will pass around the southern coast of Tasmania and up to Sydney.
SubPartners has been discussing the project with the Government, offering the state the opportunity to tap into the cable for about $20 million.
