By Corinne Reichert, ZDNet
August 14, 2017
Southern Cross Cable Network has announced that it will commence construction of its $350 million submarine cable after completing a seafloor survey and discovering a more efficient route.
According to Southern Cross, eight customers have already signed intent to use the cable, including the Pacific islands of Fiji, Samoa, Tokelau, and Kiribati, with a request for proposal process now under way for cable suppliers ahead of vendors being selected at the end of 2017.
The Southern Cross NEXT cable's new route, which traverses Wallis and Fortuna waters rather than the previously planned Tongan waters, will “deliver the fastest connection between the shores of Australia, New Zealand, and US”, Southern Cross Cable Network CEO Anthony Briscoe said.
Briscoe pointed towards widely used apps including Snapchat and Facebook as being delivered to APAC users via subsea cables.
