Australia has helped achieve a major milestone in Pacific telecommunications, with all Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) members now connected to the global undersea cable network for the first time, improving digital connectivity and creating new opportunities for trade, investment and economic development.
Working with Pacific governments and international development partners, Australia has supported the delivery of more than 10,300 kilometres of new undersea telecommunications cables, extending reliable, high-capacity connectivity to some of the region’s most remote island communities.
Australia has committed more than A$500 million since 2018 to undersea cable infrastructure across the Pacific and Timor-Leste, primarily through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP).
The investments have supported cable connections in Nauru, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, Palau and Papua New Guinea.
Among the most recent developments is the 2,250-kilometre East Micronesia Cable, which became operational in mid-2026, providing Nauru, Tarawa in Kiribati and Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia with their first international undersea cable connections.
The A$135 million project was delivered through a six-nation partnership involving the three Pacific countries, Australia, Japan and the United States. Australia contributed approximately A$65 million. The new connection is expected to benefit more than 100,000 people.
Other recent projects include Tuvalu’s first international undersea cable, the Vaka Cable, which became operational in October 2025, and Tonga’s second international connection, the Tu’i Vava’u Cable, commissioned in May 2026.
The additional Tongan connection is particularly important for network resilience, reducing the risks of widespread telecommunications disruption when existing cables are damaged by natural disasters or other incidents.
Australia’s wider telecommunications investments are being delivered in partnership with Japan, New Zealand and the United States, as well as Taiwan.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the milestone would help Pacific economies participate more fully in the digital economy.
“A more connected Pacific is a more resilient Pacific. This infrastructure strengthens economic growth, supports essential services and will help underpin a more peaceful, stable and prosperous region,” she said.
For Pacific businesses, improved connectivity offers opportunities in e-commerce, financial services, tourism, education, healthcare and digital industries, while helping governments deliver services more efficiently.
The achievement also addresses a longstanding constraint on Pacific economic development: the high cost, limited capacity and vulnerability of telecommunications links across widely dispersed island economies.
Reliable digital infrastructure is increasingly essential to attracting investment, improving productivity and integrating Pacific businesses with regional and international markets.
Main picture courtesy AIFFP website.
