Christmas Island's Digital Leap: Subsea Cable Connectivity Expansion

Australia's Christmas Island will connect to Darwin via a subsea cable, boosting digital resilience, thanks to a project backed by Google. This connection aims to diversify Australia's internet pathways, linking to both Asian and U.S. networks, bolstered by additional military collaborations.

In a major step towards bolstering digital infrastructure, Christmas Island is set to be connected to Australia's northern city of Darwin through a subsea cable. This strategic initiative, backed by tech giant Google, promises to enhance digital resilience and security for Australia.

Situated 1,500 kilometers west of the mainland, Christmas Island holds strategic value in the Indian Ocean, lying just 350 kilometers from Jakarta. The cable project announcement aligns with military upgrades taking place in northern Australia, including the expansion of airfields to accommodate U.S. Marines and Japanese troops from next year.

Google's vice president of global network infrastructure, Brian Quigley, outlined the ambitious scope of the Bosun cable, which not only connects Darwin to Christmas Island but also extends from Melbourne to Perth, with further links to Singapore. Australia aims to mitigate digital disruption risks by creating additional subsea routes to Asia and the South Pacific.

(With inputs from agencies.)