Vocus Darwin cable lights up

Vocus’ 1000km Darwin cable has gone live, giving the city a connection to the company’s North West Cable System (NWCS).

The activation of the $100 million cable links the NWCS, which connects Darwin to Port Hedland, to the company’s Australia Singapore Cable (Perth to Singapore) to complete the Darwin Jakarta Singapore Cable (DJSC) system, which has cost Vocus $500 million.

The Darwin cable’s terrestrial connection is via Vocus’ terabit intercapital fibre from Darwin to Adelaide and Brisbane, giving its Singapore cable connectivity to all capital cities.

Minister for communications Michelle Rowland noted that the cable provides “diversification of our international cable landing points”, which she said is “strategically important”.

Image: Vocus

“Removing our reliance on a single cable landing point minimises vulnerabilities and increases our ability to remain connected," Rowland said.

Northern Territory chief minister Natasha Fyles said the DJSC provided the foundation for Darwin to establish itself as a new data centre hub for the Asia Pacific region.

“All digital highways lead into or through Darwin and that will equal jobs of the future, while growing our digital industry,” she said.

Data centre investments already underway in Darwin include NEXTDC’s plans for a hyperscale facility in the city.

“We are now progressing the development of NEXTDC’s first facility in Darwin to set the benchmark for data centres in the region, providing 100 percent uptime in addition to fast, secure, and flexible access to Australia’s most cloud connected ecosystem,” NEXTDC’s CEO Craig Scroggie said.

The cable’s landing point is on Mindil Beach.