Australia, Japan and the US have announced a partnership to work with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, and Nauru to improve internet connectivity to the three Pacific nations through a new undersea cable.
The proposed cable will effectively connect Kosrae (FSM), Nauru, and Tarawa (Kiribati) with the existing HANTRU-1 cable at Pohnpei (FSM) to deliver internet connectivity to approximately 100,000 people across the three countries. Boosting critical telecommunications infrastructure is a big step towards allowing the region to access digital technologies.
Elaborating on this partnership in a joint statement: “This is more than an infrastructure investment. It represents an enduring partnership to deliver practical and meaningful solutions at a time of unprecedented economic and strategic challenges in our region. This project builds on the strong foundations of trilateral collaboration between Australia, Japan, and the United States in the Indo-Pacific, including support for Palau’s undersea cable.”
“It is a further demonstration of our shared commitment to quality, transparent, fiscally sustainable, catalytic infrastructure partnerships with, and between, Pacific nations. These partnerships meet genuine needs, respect sovereignty, and complement the Trilateral Infrastructure Partnership and the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative. Trilateral partners will continue to work together to promote an open, inclusive and resilient region.
