Avaroa Cable has passed the halfway mark in manufacture of the 3600km Manatua Cable, connecting Samoa and Tahiti with branches to Niue, Cook Island and Bora Bora.
The fibre optic cable, its six branches for landings across Polynesia and the 32 repeaters, are being manufactured in a specialist facility in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA.
Cable manufacture is on target for completion and final testing in September 2019. The cable will then be loaded on the ship for delivery to the South Pacific.
Cable laying will start in Apia, Samoa later this year, following completion of the detailed marine survey work undertaken in June.
The announcement complements separate activity by ACL in the Cook Islands to prepare for the cable arrival.
Work is well advanced for the construction of the two cable landing stations, one each on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, with contracts now being in place for the cable landing stations and the cable land routes.
Completion of the Trans Polynesian Information Superhighway is on target to be live in May 2020, the company noted.
Dr Ranulf Scarbrough , ACL CEO and vice chair of the Manatua Cable Consortium said: “After many years of preparations, its fantastic to see the cable being manufactured at last, a clear sign that very soon Rarotonga and Aitutaki will be benefiting from world class, international fibre connections. This is a very busy period for ACL and the whole team are focused on ensuring the engineering preparations are undertaken to the highest standards.”