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Marine survey route commences ahead of Hawaiki Cable's planned 2018 completion
Wed, 10th Aug 2016
FYI, this story is more than a year old

The builders of the Hawaiki undersea cable and supply contractor have launched a marine route survey that will help set cable deployment in motion.

The survey, which started last week, will survey the site and provide crucial data for implementing the cable. Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP is working with TE SubCom, a company under the TE Connectivity umbrella. TE SubCom has been an 'industry pioneer' in undersea communications technology.

“Each stage of this groundbreaking project is important, but after very carefully planning our transpacific route and conducting an extensive survey of each landing site, we are extremely pleased to launch the marine route survey, which will give us data necessary to safely and properly deploy the system in the coming months,” explains Remi Galasso, Hawaiki CEO.

“Before deploying a cable system, a marine route survey is conducted to gather the geophysical and geotechnical data needed to ensure the cable is buried safely and securely,” said Aaron Stucki, president of TE SubCom. “It's a vital and significant step in the process of launching a new cable system, and we share in Hawaiki's excitement as our companies move forward with this project," Galasso continues.

The 30Tbps capacity cable will use TE SubCom's C100U+ Submarine Line Terminating Equipment. The equipment also uses TE SubCom's optical add/drop multiplexing nodes, which will allow for optional connectivity to islands along the cable's route.

The 14,000 km long carrier-neutral cable is set to be completed in mid-2018, and will connect New Zealand and Australia to many South Pacific islands, Hawaii and the mainland United States. The system was co-developed by New Zealand-based entrepreneurs Sir Eion Edgar, Malcolm Dick and Remi Galasso

“The team is doing a great job; we are on time and on budget. We are confident that with our trusted supplier, TE SubCom, our cable will be delivered as planned in mid-2018, less than two years from now. Hawaiki is not only bringing competition and diversity to the market, but it's also offering a future-proof solution to its customers in the most cost-effective fashion,” Galasso concludes.