Tokelau and Kiribati will benefit from a hybrid internet network announced last week to bolster connectivity amid upgrade work on the undersea Southern Cross cable.
Photo: AFP
The network, in use since 2000, is a key internet gateway for the Pacific region stretching from Australia and New Zealand to the west coast of the United States.
A new upgraded cable, Southern Cross NEXT, is being laid by Southern Cross Cables Limited that will eventually replace the existing Southern Cross network.
While that work is ongoing, the cable company is partnering with satellite provider SES networks to boost connectivity for Nukunonu in Tokelau and Kiritimati Island in Kiribati.
In a release, SES networks director for Australia and the Pacific region, John Turnbull, said the cooperation with Southern Cross was an important illustration of how satellite and undersea cable networks can complement each other.
"It is a great example of how the entire network ecosystem can work together to ensure the Pacific region - with thousands of islands and vast open seas in between - remain connected at all times," he said.
Southern Cross Chief Executive, Laurie Miller, said the unparalleled reach of satellites combined with infrastructure on the ground has already exceeded expectations.
"With demand for connectivity and data consumption growing at an accelerating pace across the Pacific, we believe this hybrid network infrastructure is going to benefit businesses and communities greatly."