The undersea cable project proposed for Solomon Islands will have its source from Sydney in Australia, where it can support high speed communications for over 70% of the Solomon Islands population, says the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Solomons Oceanic Cable Company Robin Russell.
Confirming this to the Solomon Star yesterday Mr Russell stated that coverage by this submarine cable will encompasses Guadalcanal, Malaita and Western province, as the three components to the network are: (a) an international link from Sydney to Honiara, (b) a domestic link from Honiara to Auki in Malaita Province and (c) a domestic link from Honiara to Noro in the Western Province.
“A direct connection from Sydney to Honiara is planned, because Sydney offers a competitive internet connectivity market for access to the rest of the world,” Mr Russell stated.
The CEO added, the submarine cable is faster, higher capacity, more reliable and cheaper than the current satellite communication, all aspects of communications services will be improved.
He added the most obvious improvement is likely to be in internet, which will be cheaper and will support greater bandwidth and be more reliable.
“The time frame for completion will depend on the capabilities of the suppliers, but is expected to be between the end of 2016 and mid-2017,” he said.
By AATAI JOHN
