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Underwater broadband cable to link NZ with rest of the world

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SPIN aims to give New Zealand internet companies another option.

SPIN aims to give New Zealand internet companies another option.

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Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:00a.m.
A French company plans to lay a new underwater broadband cable linking New Zealand to the rest of the world.

South Pacific Islands Network (SPIN) says the cable should be operational in two years, providing cheaper and more efficient broadband.

New Zealand’s high speed internet connection to the rest of the world relies on one underwater cable – the Southern Cross, which links Auckland to the United States.

SPIN aims to give New Zealand internet companies another option.

“The internet service providers have no choice today if they want to be connected,” says SPIN chief executive Remi Galasso. “So SPIN means a choice – it means competition.”

SPIN says in just over two years it will have laid an undersea cable from Noumea to Auckland. It will also run from Noumea to Papeete, and on to Hawaii.

A second cable will link Noumea to Sydney and Auckland.

“I think there is a lot more detail to come out yet on the SPIN proposal, but in principal a second cable does mean more competition, more pressure on pricing,” says Ernie Newman of TUANZ.

The project will cost almost $300million.

The French government is one of the investors in SPIN, because it wants its Pacific territories to have high speed internet.

“You cannot have decent economic growth today if you don’t have a broadband connection,” says Mr Galasso.

“It is very important for these countries to be connected.”

What SPIN needs now, is a telco in New Zealand to sign up as a long term customer.

SPIN executives have been talking to companies like Vodafone and Telstra Clear. It says it has signed up one major partner already – but it will be a couple of weeks before the name of that company is revealed.

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Comments [6]

qwerty
30 Aug 2009 12:49a.m.

cool

keith
11 Aug 2009 4:52p.m.

Good for Spin.God pray they don't let the new Vision Stream company here,alias LEIGHTON HOLDINGS maintain it because their staff will be so poorly paid she will be another ;put a quick elastoplast on her and run,like the rest of their network[NZ TELECOM]

Mrs Pitt
11 Aug 2009 2:37p.m.

What a shame there will be no Telecommunications Technicians/Engineers to keep the aging infrastructure in NZ going. You can thank Greedy Telecom & Visionstream (Leighton) for that. This undersea cable is a waste of time unless you have techs to fix/install cable to the home.

Helen
11 Aug 2009 12:54p.m.

yahoo finally something to look forward to FASTER internet access good on them I say

Mickey Mouse
11 Aug 2009 9:59a.m.

Wouldn't it make sense to have the cable originate from some other part of the country? Having all our communication with the rest of the world come out of the same area in Aucklands west coast seems like putting all our eggs in one basket. One major geological event could cut us off?

John
11 Aug 2009 5:30a.m.

Global connectivity is vital for Our growth and future development; Only huge broadband high band width capacvity can ensure that pressures on the system causing hard pressed busy customers to be engaged and over-loaded when you finally give them a ring.
Change is necessary when coupling up to a joint partner well away from Kiwis up to the French zone; I hope Spin will represent a tidal wave to the future and great competition with the current of history behind us; I would have preferred Mobile companies, as for example Finns were great at developing e-communications for smaller countries and isolated Island nations.
Consumer Group activists like me and my pals do not want to see spin-doctors outsmart the regulators and sting us with undersea cable extra tariffs on old people and dating couple's phone bills. We need Key intervention and action to protect vulnurable users; At least though the company is employing fine local engineers to understand the fuses!
Gromit2

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