All Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) members are now connected to undersea telecommunications cables for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the region's digital infrastructure and opening new opportunities for trade, investment and economic participation.
Australia announced on August 7 that it had helped deliver more than 10,300 kilometres of new undersea cables across the Pacific, ensuring every PIF member has access to the global cable network.
The investment is expected to strengthen regional digital connectivity while improving the ability of governments, businesses and communities to access global markets, services and information.
Australia has committed more than A$500 million since 2018 to support undersea cable connectivity across the Pacific and Timor-Leste. The funding has supported cable projects in nine countries, including primary cable connections for Nauru, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Tarawa in Kiribati and Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia.
For Papua New Guinea, the programme has particular economic significance as Australia and its partners continue to support a second international cable connection for the country, aimed at strengthening the reliability and resilience of its telecommunications infrastructure.
Australia is delivering the investments in partnership with Japan, New Zealand and the United States, as well as Taiwan.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said universal connectivity across the PIF region would provide Pacific countries with infrastructure needed to participate more fully in the modern economy.
“For the first time, every Pacific Islands Forum member now has access to the digital infrastructure needed to participate fully in the modern economy, backed in with Australian support,” Wong said.
She said stronger digital connectivity would also contribute to regional resilience, economic growth and the delivery of essential services.
“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.
Digital infrastructure opens economic opportunities
For Pacific businesses, improved international connectivity could reduce barriers to accessing digital markets and enable faster and more reliable communication with customers, suppliers, investors and partners outside the region.
Australia's Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy said improved digital infrastructure would help integrate Pacific economies and make it easier for investment to move across the region.
“Faster, more affordable and more reliable digital services will help integrate our economies, making it easier for Pacific peoples and businesses to connect, and investment to flow across the region,” Conroy said.
He said the new connections would also improve information and knowledge sharing, creating opportunities for Pacific countries to participate more fully in the global economy.
“With new connections comes greater opportunities, better information flows and knowledge sharing, supporting Pacific Island countries to fully participate in the global economy,” he said.
The infrastructure could support a growing range of economic activity across the region, including banking, digital commerce, tourism, business services and other sectors that increasingly depend on reliable international connectivity.
Focus on network resilience
The undersea cable investments are also being used to build greater redundancy into Pacific telecommunications networks.
Australia is supporting second international cable connections in Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Solomon Islands, helping reduce the economic and social risks associated with disruptions to individual cable routes.
For PNG, a second international connection is particularly important as businesses, government agencies and communities increasingly depend on telecommunications infrastructure for commercial transactions, government services, education and access to international markets.
Reliable connectivity can also strengthen business competitiveness and provide a more stable foundation for investment and participation in the digital economy.
The broader regional investment comes as Pacific economies become increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure for banking, digital commerce, government services, education, tourism and private-sector activity.
Australia said the completed regional network will help connect Pacific governments, businesses, communities and people to global networks and digital markets, creating opportunities for trade, investment, innovation and broader economic participation.
