The Sunshine Coast has marked another major milestone in digital connectivity with the landing of a groundbreaking subsea cable at Maroochydore.
The new Tabua international submarine cable will connect Queensland through the Pacific and to the United States via high-speed and secure subsea cable infrastructure.
The Maroochydore landing creates the first direct subsea cable connection between Australia and the United States that doesn’t start in Sydney.
The connection will help businesses, governments and communities across Australia benefit from faster, more reliable digital services.
Delivered by a large specialised ship which is sitting off Maroochydore, the subsea cable was successfully pulled ashore yesterday following an offshore operation involving excavators, winches, boats and divers.
The cable landing builds on Sunshine Coast Council’s previous infrastructure investments and is supported by NEXTDC’s SC1 data centre, and SC2 data centre currently under construction in the Maroochydore City Centre.
The cable will also land in Sydney, Fiji, Hawaii and the United States – reinforcing the Sunshine Coast as a digital gateway to the world.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said “The Tabua cable will mean faster, more reliable internet for locals, businesses and the Pacific.”
“I’m delighted that Google is now a partner and actively investing in Queensland and more particularly, on the Sunshine Coast.
“These investments are designed to secure long-term economic growth and digital resilience for the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and Australia.
“This project is expected to unlock new opportunities in tech, data centres, and smart city development, further strengthening the region’s reputation as an innovation hub,” Mayor Natoli said.
Google Global Infrastructure vice president Bikash Koley said the cable landing was an important part of a nationwide investments to help build Australia’s digital future.
“We appreciate the collaboration with the Sunshine Coast Council and NEXTDC to enable this new international cable landing, substantially increasing the resilience and diversity of Australia’s connectivity across the Pacific,” Mr Koley said.
“Australian network providers like Vocus have invested alongside Google for this Sunshine Coast system and will now have new options for international connectivity that complement traditional routes through Sydney.”
