By HawaiiNewsNow.com
Hawaiian Telcom recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first trans-Pacific undersea cable that connected Hawai?i, Japan and the U.S. Mainland. The Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE) recognized this anniversary as an IEEE Milestone, one of only two in Hawai?i and less than 200 worldwide. IEEE Milestones recognize significant technical innovations that benefit humanity.
In 1964, Trans Pacific Cable 1 (TPC-1) was inaugurated by President Lyndon Johnson and Japan’s Premier Hayato Ikeda. Hawaiian Telcom (then Hawaiian Telephone Company), American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), and Kokusai Denshin Denwa International (KDDI) of Japan partnered to build it, sharing the $83 million cost. This historic engineering feat improved global communications and contributed to deep water submarine cable technologies.
