May 10, 2012

Alcatel-Lucent has been selected by Tonga Cable Limited to deliver an undersea cable link between the Kingdom of Tonga and its neighbor Fiji, bringing to the Tongan islands broadband services such as streaming video and high-speed Internet access to residents and tourists alike.

The 837-km link with Fiji will provide Tonga with access to the Southern Cross Cable, the main trans-Pacific link between Australia and the United States. It will significantly boost connectivity and substantially increase the availability of broadband services for Tonga’s 100,000 residents and help spur economic growth.

Robert Bolouri, Managing Director of Tonga Cable Limited said: “This cable link with Fiji will create a gateway to the global economy and community, and we are confident that it will provide great benefits to Tonga’s citizens and the many visitors we welcome each year. With the help of Alcatel-Lucent, we will be able to bring a much broader range of communications services to people throughout the country”.

Under the agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will deploy its advanced submarine optical solution based on the OALC-5 cables, repeaters and the 1620 Light Manager (LM) submarine line terminal – which can accommodate 10G/40G/100G wavelengths in the same platform. The installation will be performed by Alcatel-Lucent’s Ile de Ré cable ship, which is based in region and is specialized for laying and maintenance operations.