Google has announced the Australia Connect initiative, an investment aimed at enhancing digital connectivity and resilience across Australia and the Indo-Pacific. The initiative will deliver new subsea cable systems and build on the existing Pacific Connect initiative, Google Cloud said in a blog post.
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The Bosun Subsea Cable
The Bosun subsea cable will connect Darwin, Australia to Christmas Island, which has onward connectivity to Singapore. According to Google, the name, "Bosun" refers to both the white-tailed tropicbird — the iconic bird of Christmas Island — and the nautical term for a ship's lead deckhand.
Interlink Cable
Additionally, the company also announced a new interlink cable that will connect Melbourne, Perth, and Christmas Island. In Melbourne, the interlink cable will connect to the Honomoana cable system, part of the Pacific Connect initiative, creating a new interconnection point for services from the US to Asia.
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Collaborative Efforts with Industry Partners
Google is also working with partners like Vocus to deliver terrestrial fiber pairs that connect Darwin to the Sunshine Coast, connecting Bosun with the Tabua subsea cable system that connects the United States and Australia to Fiji.
The Australia Connect initiative is a collaborative effort involving Google and several key partners, including NEXTDC, SUBCO, and Vocus, along with state and local governments in Darwin, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast.
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Government and Industry Perspectives
Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Communications, Australia said: "The Australian Government welcomes the announcement of the Australia Connect initiative by Google and its partners. These new cable systems will not only expand and strengthen the resilience of Australia's own digital connectivity through new and diversified routes, but will also complement the Government’s active work with industry and government partners to support secure, resilient and reliable connectivity across the Pacific."
Interim CEO of Vocus said: "Australia Connect will bolster our nation's strategic position as a vital gateway between Asia and the United States by connecting key nodes located in Australia's East, West, and North to global digital markets. Australia Connect will create a low latency, secure, and stable network architecture while providing added reliability for Google, our customers, and partners."
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Impact of Australia Connect on Infrastructure
The project builds on Google’s Digital Future Initiative launched in 2021, an AUD 1 billion, five-year initiative to advance Australia's digital infrastructure. The initiative is expected to contribute AUD 98.5 billion to Australia's GDP and create 68,000 jobs by 2027.
