The 4,700km Coral Sea Cable System between Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Australia has landed in Sydney.
The landing of the cable in Sydney caps off two months work by the team on board the cable-laying ship, Ile de Brehat.
With the cable reaching Sydney, it will soon be connected to power and transmission equipment housed in a landing station in Paddington, west of Tamarama Beach. This is where the cable will be connected into the broader land network in Australia.
The cable landing was celebrated with a ceremony at Tamarama Beach on Wednesday 28 August, attended by Senator Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Walter Diamana, Acting Solomon Islands High Commissioner, Leo Oaeke, Acting PNG Consul General in Sydney, and Kevin Russell, Managing Director and CEO, Vocus Group.
With the Australian landing completed, the cable laying ship Ile de Brehat will soon return to Solomon Islands to lay a separate 730km submarine cable linking Honiara to the provincial centres of Auki, Noro and Taro.
The Coral Sea Cable System is on track for completion by December 2019.