Google intends to create the world’s largest submarine cable network with its Australia Connect initiative
Google has announced the launch of Australia Connect, a major project to improve digital connectivity in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.
It will deliver a new submarine cable system, increasing the flexibility and reliability of the internet in the region. The initiative builds on the existing Pacific Connect project and includes several major partners including Vocus, NEXTDC and SUBCO, with support from state and local governments.
A key feature of the initiative is the Boson submarine cable, which will connect the Australian city of Darwin to Christmas Island and then to Singapore.
The cable’s name, “Bosun,” is inspired by the whitetail fish, the symbol of Christmas Island, and a nautical term for a ship’s chief sailor.
Another cable will connect Melbourne, Perth and Christmas Island, providing internet services between the United States and Asia via Australia.
These new cables will diversify internet pathways, providing low-latency, high-reliability infrastructure to support growing digital demand.
Although Christmas Island has a population of only 1,250 people, it is significant due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean, approximately 350 km from Jakarta and 1,500 km from mainland Australia.
The submarine cable will enhance the island’s digital resilience and connect it to critical infrastructure improvements underway in northern Australia.
Michelle Rowland, MP and Australian Minister for Communications, welcomed the move by Google and its partners, saying these new cable systems will expand and enhance the resilience of the country’s digital connectivity in new and diverse ways and will complement the government’s ongoing efforts.
NEXTDC CEO and President Craig Scroggie said submarine cables are the invisible lifeline that connects Australia to the global digital ecosystem.
These investments will improve every customer’s experience by increasing data speeds, improving reliability and redundancy, and strengthening cybersecurity in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said they were pleased to work with Google and that investment in digital infrastructure would help develop a connected, prosperous, and technology-ready future on the Sunshine Coast and beyond.
Vocus interim CEO Jarrod Nink said the move would strengthen the country’s position as a vital gateway between Asia and the United States by connecting key nodes in eastern, western, and northern Australia to global digital markets.
Australia Connect will create a low-latency, secure, and stable network architecture while providing greater reliability for Google, its customers, and partners.
In 2021, Google launched its $1 billion Digital Futures Plan to invest in infrastructure and research. A report by Analysys Mason estimated that the company’s previous submarine cable deployment would increase Australia’s GDP by $98.5 billion between 2022 and 2026 and create approximately 68,000 jobs by 2027.
The project will create the world’s largest submarine cable network, with 42,500 kilometers of fiber optic cables connecting the United States, Australia, Asia and the Pacific Islands.
