<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>333998</docID> <postdate>2024-11-26 08:15:34</postdate> <headline>New routes to secure internet for Australia, Pacific</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-333999" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/20240919149629324867-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>The Australia Connect project is designed to plug the Pacific more securely into the internet. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Marion Rae</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>A high-tech subsea cable system with new landing points will securely pipe the highest possible volume of data from the US, Australia and Asia.</strong></p> <p>As well as setting the nation up to be a data warehouse for the region, the Australia Connect project unveiled by Google Cloud and its partners on Tuesday is designed to plug the Pacific more securely into the internet.</p> <p>The initiative includes the Bosun subsea cable to connect Darwin to Christmas Island, which has onward connectivity to Singapore, and a new interlink cable between Melbourne, Perth and Christmas Island.</p> <p>In Melbourne, the interlink cable will connect to the existing Honomoana cable system, creating a new interconnection point for the US and Asia.</p> <p>The project will also connect Darwin to the Sunshine Coast by plugging into the Tabua subsea cable system that runs from the US and Australia to Fiji.</p> <p><img class="size-full wp-image-334000" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/subsea-cable.jpg" alt="" width="748" height="368" /></p> <caption>The Australia Connect project aims to plug the Pacific more securely into the internet. Image: Google Cloud</caption> <p>Communications Minister Michelle Rowland welcomed the announcement of new and diversified routes that she said would support secure and reliable infrastructure in Australia and across the Pacific.</p> <p>Google is working with specialist Australian firms NEXTDC, Subco and Vocus on Australia Connect, along with state and local governments in Darwin, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast.</p> <p>"Investing in digital infrastructure is helping to develop a connected, thriving and tech-ready future for the Sunshine Coast and beyond," Mayor Rosanna Natoli said.</p> <p>Jarrod Nink, interim CEO at digital infrastructure firm Vocus, said Australia Connect would bolster the country's strategic position as a stable gateway between Asia and the US by connecting key nodes located in Australia's east, west, and north to global digital markets.</p> <p>New cable landing points are intended to strengthen the digital resilience of Australia and the broader Pacific region.</p> <p>"Submarine cables are the critical, often unseen lifelines linking Australia to the global digital ecosystem," NEXTDC chief executive Craig Scroggie said.</p> <p>He said the work would boost data speeds and strengthen cybersecurity as well as building in resilience and system redundancy.</p> <p>The project adds to the Pacific Connect initiative which comprises a highest-capacity submarine cable system between Australia and the US, a cable between Fiji and French Polynesia, and scope for future connections to other Pacific nations.</p> </body>