SUBCO, Firmus to double Tasmania's undersea internet capacity to mainland

Tasmania’s undersea cable capacity to mainland Australia is set to double with a fresh link across Bass Strait to be built as part of an agreement between SUBCO and AI factory builder Firmus Technologies.

The new undersea route will run from the north of the island state and plug into SUBCO’s new transcontinental cable linking Perth and Sydney via Adelaide and Melbourne across the south of the continent, SMAP.

In a joint announcement, the two companies said that the new route, to be called Bernacchi-1, is the first new cable to be built connecting the state to the mainland in 20 years.

It is expected to give Tasmania a 60Tbps boost in undersea capacity as soon as it starts operating – more than that provided by all of the state’s current undersea fibre routes to the mainland combined.

Under the agreement between the companies, SUBCO will build and operate Bernacchi-1 as a part of SMAP with Firmus underwriting the private investment.

SUBCO completed the 5000-kilometre SMAP system in January and today said it is currently scheduled to be in service from this month.

Firmus and SUBCO said that Bernacchi-1 is expected to be operational from the second quarter of 2027.

The companies said the construction of the new cable is also significant in giving Tasmania its first direct link to NSW which is where Australia’s density of overseas cables is currently highest.

SUBCO founder and co-chief executive Bevan Slattery has been vocal in championing Australia’s potential to play a major role in the development of AI in the Indo-Pacific, serving as a secure connection hub for the region.

“Bernacchi-1 for me is a great example of how Australia can leverage AI to create new sovereign owned infrastructure capability for the benefit of the nation as a whole,” Slattery said.