The first testing for the Tui-Samoa underground fiber optic cable should take place in September.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi and his Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Afamasaga Rico Tupai have been reassured that installation work of the Tui-Samoa Cable investment will start in mid-September.
Savali News reports the assurances came from the Chairman of the Samoa Submarine Cable Pepe Christian Fruean at the completion of the 5 week undersea survey.
“The installation will start in September and end in mid-November, and by December 2017, it will be up for testing,” Pepe explained.
The Tui-Samoa cable is an 8 terabyte system which will connect Samoa (Upolu and Savaii), the Territories of Wallis & Fatuna and Vanua Levu, Fiji.
The government through the Samoa Submarine Cable Company (S.S.C.C.) formally announced its commencement of commercial negotiations to host a spur off the 12,500km Trans-Pacific Southern Cross Next connecting Australia and New Zealand (and also Samoa) to Los Angeles in California, U.S.A.
The Tui Samoa Cable project aims to deliver low-cost broadband services to Samoa and strengthen the regulatory and legal environment for information and communications technology.
When completed, the Cable is expected to deliver Samoa a wide range of improvements to public services, including an e-health patient information system to improve patient care.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa is pleased with the progress telling the local media, that Tui-Samoa is just one of the Cable networks under the government’s microscope.
“Next year, SSCC will take a step further by introducing another project called Manatua Cable,” said the Prime Minister.
“The Manatua Cable will continue to link with the existing Honatua cable from Hawaii to Tahiti to be extended to Samoa, Niue and the Cook Islands.
“It’s a back-up to the Tui-Samoa Cable to ensure that there will be no major disruptions. Should the Tui-Samoa cable experience any hiccups, the Manatua Cable will come in to play.”
Government has been encouraging investment in information technology as the gateway for Samoa’s future prosperity, paving the way for new investors and improve priority sectors such as education, health, and agriculture and job creation.
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