Australia funds Google to build three subsea cables in Papua New Guinea under a defence treaty, boosting digital security and regional connectivity.
SYDNEY: Papua New Guinea has announced that Alphabet’s Google will build three subsea cables funded by Australia under a mutual defence treaty.
The project represents a key upgrade to the digital infrastructure of the largest Pacific Island nation.
Australian and US military strategists view resource-rich Papua New Guinea as a prized strategic location north of Australia.
ALSO READ: Australia and Papua New Guinea to sign historic defence pact
This comes at a time when China is boosting its influence across the Pacific region.
The USD 120 million effort will link northern and southern Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville autonomous region with high-capacity cables.
PNG’s acting minister for information and communications technology, Peter Tsiamalili, confirmed the funding arrangement.
“The entire investment (is) funded through Australia’s commitments under the Pukpuk Treaty,” he said in a statement.
He added that the project reflected both nations’ shared commitment to advance digital security, regional stability, and national development.
The subsea cables will be built by Google, according to the official statement.
Tsiamalili met Australian and US diplomats to discuss the project at Google’s Australian office this week.
A Google Australia spokeswoman declined to comment on the PNG project.
Australia’s foreign affairs department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tsiamalili said the three international-grade cables will cut reliance on single points of failure.
He stated the upgrade will position PNG to attract investment from hyper-scalers and global digital enterprises.
The pact between Australia and PNG, known as the Pukpuk Treaty, gives Australian defence personnel access to PNG communications systems.
This access includes satellite stations and subsea cables, as shown in the treaty’s text.
Reuters previously reported Google planned to build a data hub on Australia’s Indian Ocean outpost of Christmas Island.
Christmas Island is another strategic defence location in the region.
Two new cables are planned to link it eastwards with Australian cities hosting key defence bases also used by the US military.
Google confirmed the Christmas Island data hub last month.
The company said two more cable systems would link it westwards with Africa and Asia.
This move is intended to “deepen the resilience” of internet infrastructure, according to Google.
The United States is also strengthening military ties with Papua New Guinea.
It signed a defence cooperation pact with the nation in 2023. – Reuters
