Tonga Cable has selected French-US equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent to roll out a submarine cable link between the Kingdom of Tonga and neighbouring Fiji. The proposed 837km link will provide the Tongan islands with improved broadband services for its 100,000 or so residents, including streaming video, as well as providing the nation with access to the Southern Cross Cable, the main trans-Pacific link between Australia and the US. Under the plan, Alca-Lu is deploying its submarine optical solution based on the OALC-5 cables, repeaters and the 1620 Light Manager (LM) submarine line terminal, which can accommodate 10G/40G/100G wavelengths in the same platform, it said. The installation will be performed by the vendor’s Ile de Re cable ship based in the region, it added.
Commenting on the tie-up, Robert Bolouri, managing director of Tonga Cable, said: ‘This cable link with Fiji will create a gateway to the global economy and community, and we are confident that it will provide great benefits to Tonga’s citizens and the many visitors we welcome each year. With the help of Alcatel-Lucent, we will be able to bring a much broader range of communications services to people throughout the country.’