The Australian telecommunications company Vocus has secured a contract to lay an internet submarine cable to link Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Australia.
Photo: AFP
The agreement was signed with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, which is part-funding the US$2.2 million project.
The Solomon Islands government had signed a deal with the Chinese company Huawei, but that was strongly opposed by Canberra, which cited security concerns.
The Asia Development Bank also withdrew funding for that cable because of a lack of transparency around the procurement process.
After the lengthy negotiations, the Solomon Islands government agreed to the current deal, which will see the 4000km high-speed internet cable.