Manatua Cable steams ahead

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Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoe addresses Pacific leaders at the signing of the Manatua communique
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoe addresses Pacific leaders at the signing of the Manatua communique

Friday 9th November marked another great milestone for connectivity in the Pacific as the leaders of Samoa, Niue, French Polynesia and the Cook Islands came together in Auckland to sign the Manatua Cable Consortium Communique.

The Manatua Consortium is composed of the Office des postes et télécommunications (OPT), the telecoms operator of French Polynesia, Avaroa Cables Limited (ACL), the cable operator of Cook Islands, Telecom Niue Limited (TNL), the telecoms operator of Niue and Samoa Submarine Cable Company (SSCC), the cable operator of the Independent State of Samoa. Manatua cable will provide connections from Apia, Samoa to Toahotu, Tahiti, with branching units for landings to Niue; Aitutaki, Cook Island; Raratonga, Cook Island; and Vaitape, Bora Bora.

“Manatua will not only allow for faster and even more reliable connectivity in our islands, but brings together our people in a way that not many other projects can achieve. For Samoa, it is another building block in the government’s vision for the Samoa Connectivity Project” said Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr Sailele Malielegaoi.

According to the Chairman of the Samoa Submarine Cable Company, Pauli Prince Suhren, “Manatua, set to become operational in 2020, will complement and enhance the connectivity already provided for Samoa by the newly commissioned Tui Samoa Cable and will provide the vital restoration capacity that is required to ensure a high level of assurance of service continuity and redundancy”