Marshall Islands and Micronesia finally get fibre links

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 30 March 2010 08:30

Business IT - Networking

The Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia have finally acquired optical fibre connectivity to the rest of the world.

Hannon Armstrong Capital, Truestone and TE SubCom (Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications) have completed construction and commissioning of the HANTRU1 cable system connecting Kwajalein in the Republic of the Marshall Islands to Guam where it can interconnect with a number of major trans-Pacific cable systems.

HANTRU1 also has links to Majuro in the Marshall Islands and Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The islands previously had only satellite connections. It stretches 2,917kmss and provides 20Gbps installed capacity on two fibre pairs, with an ultimate capacity of 160Gbps.

The cable system has been ten years in gestation. Takuro Akinaga, CEO of the Federated States of Micronesia Telecommunications Corporation said: "The completion of this project is a result of much planning and collaboration. We appreciate the dedication of all the parties that have been involved in this project over the last ten years and look forward to the immeasurable benefits the people of Federated States of Micronesia will enjoy on account of enhanced access to the rest of the world."