Sunshine Coast Starts Deployment of Submarine Cable Landing Station

By Telecompaper
February 8, 2019

The Sunshine Coast Council in Australia has announced that construction is underway on the AUD 6.6 million cable landing station, which is the major land-based facility for the AUD 35 million Sunshine Coast International Broadband Submarine Cable network. The submarine cable landing station, located at Maud Street, Maroochydore, will help deliver data and telecommunications connection to Asia from the east coast of Australia via an undersea fibre optic cable.

The landing station is part of the international cable network that will be delivered thanks to AUD 15 million from the Queensland Government’s AUD 150 million Jobs and Regional Growth Fund and AUD 20 million from Sunshine Coast Council.

According to Mayor Mark Jamieson, the start of construction of the cable landing station marks a significant milestone in the delivery of the Sunshine Coast international broadband submarine cable project. “Council is the first local government in Australia to secure an investment in an international submarine cable and with the cable landing station underway, we are ensuring the delivery of the international submarine cable connection is on track to be operational in mid-2020”, Jamieson said.

RTI Connectivity is building a 9700-kilometre submarine cable between Japan, Guam and Australia (JGA), and a 550-kilometre branch which will connect the JGA cable to the new landing station at Maroochydore. Following a tender process, Australia-based Vertiv was recently awarded the contract to design and construct the cable landing station.

On completion, the Council will start the installation phase for the landing station facilities which will connect to the wider network, in preparation for the submarine cable connection being operational in mid-2020.