Leveraging the Manatua cable, the collaboration connects Rarotonga through to the Tahiti Internet Exchange, as well as beyond to major international internet hubs in Hawaii and Los Angeles in the US.
“ACL recently announced the launch of connectivity between Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands on the new Manatua Cable. Today’s announcement is the second step in our strategy, opening up the first international fibre cable connectivity,” said Dr Ranulf Scarbrough, chief executive officer at Avaroa Cable.
“ACL is excited to work with ONATi to deliver this crucial link for the Cook Islands. There is more to come in ACL’s strategy and we will make further announcements as we work to put in place the optimum international connectivity for the Cook Islands over the months ahead. This is a fantastic next step for us.”
The partnership builds on the previously established relationship between ACL and OPT as partners on the recently completed 3600km Manatua Cable Project across the South Pacific. The system became ready for service in July of this year.
“Both OPT and Onati have worked closely with ACL on the ground-breaking Manatua Cable Project,” said Jean-François Martin, president of OPT.
“This partnership builds on the strong relationship and mutual respect we’ve developed and leverages Onati’s proven connectivity experience and resources for the benefit of the Cook Islands providing direct, low latency access to Internet content via Tahiti. We are delighted to be taking our relationship with ACL to the next level and helping our Polynesian neighbour transform their connectivity.”
Vodafone Cook Islands will be the first to use the new service, giving its customers in Rarotonga and Aitutaki with fibre connectivity across the Pacific Ocean all the way to the US. The service will be available to its customer effective immediately.
“International fibre connectivity is a key part of the partnership Vodafone recently signed with Avaroa Cable,” added Phill Henderson, chief executive officer of Vodafone Cook Islands.
“This announcement unlocks a universe of exciting potential applications for our customers in Rarotonga and Aitutaki. We look forward to helping our customers realise the full potential of this important new infrastructure for the Cook Islands.”
