Minister for Communication and Aviation Peter Shanel, the Australian High Commissioner Roderick Brazier and dignitaries.
THE Noro cable landing station has been officially commissioned on Thursday in Western province.
The Minister for Communication and Aviation Peter Shanel together with the Premier of Western Province David Gina and the Australian High Commissioner Roderick Brazier officially unveiled the Noro Cable landing station for the Solomon Islands domestic network at a ceremony yesterday.
A joint statement by the Solomon Submarine Cable and Australian Government said the Cable Landing Station at Noro is a vital piece of infrastructure, housing the Noro end of the 730km submarine fibre optic cable that links Noro up with Honiara and Honiara with Sydney.
The Solomon Islands Domestic Network which also connects up Auki and Taro and through the Coral Sea Cable System to Sydney will transform internet connectivity in Solomon Islands, the statement said.
The cable is designed to provide a level of internet capacity more than 6,000 times greater than current internet usage in Solomon Islands, it added.
“This will significantly increase internet usage and augment the way Solomon Islanders work, learn, do business and access services.
“As one of the largest economic hubs outside of Honiara, Noro can benefit greatly from the improved internet connectivity the cable will bring.
“Improved connectivity has the ability to open up access to global e-commerce markets, especially for tourism, agriculture and fisheries.
“It can enable greater efficiencies in the delivery of government services, port management and the local airport.
For individuals, greater internet connectivity has the potential to allow better access to education opportunities, tele-medicine options and other civic services delivered Online,” the statement said.
Speaking at the event Minister Shanel said “This is a game changing project and the opportunities it brings for Western province are huge.”
Premier Gina said “This is an historical event as we all come together to celebrate the advancement of the telecommunications sector in Solomon Islands.”
Australian High Commissioner Brazier said “this infrastructure project will open up new economic opportunities for Solomon Islands and will be transformative for communities across Noro.”
Both the Coral Sea Cable System and Solomon Islands Domestic Network are majority grant financed by Australia, and are expected to be complete in December 2019, after a robust period of testing, with customers able to access services in early 2020.
