The ceremony followed an official tour of the cable-laying ship, the Ile de Brehat, on Friday 12 July 2019, by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon John Maneniaru, Acting High Commissioner Sally-Anne Vincent and other senior representatives.

Officials touring the vessel were briefed on how the undersea fibre optic cable, manufactured in France, will be laid along its distance. They were also shown the repeaters, key pieces of technology used to boost the signal of the cable network.

There are 42 repeaters placed along the cable length, some of which have been named after prominent or inspirational Solomon Islanders following a public competition that was held in May this year.

The project is a large scale and complex submarine cable build and is making excellent progress.

Together with our partners, we’re very proud of our role in building critical infrastructure for the people, businesses and communities of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

We’re also very proud of the expertise in fibre networks and large-scale project management we have at Vocus, and the strong relationships we have with the Australian Government agencies and stakeholders involved.

The Coral Sea Cable System and the Solomon Islands Domestic Network are on track to be ready for service by December 2019.

Further information about the project can be found at www.coralseacablesystem.com.au.