Google to run undersea internet cables to Pacific islands under Australia-US initiative

In a ground-breaking move, Alphabet's Google will run undersea cables under a joint US-Australian arrangement scheduled to be revealed on Wednesday that will power internet access to at least eight remote Pacific Ocean nations, a US source said.

The project seeks to increase Google's current commercial operations in the area. Project includes Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

Official announcement is expected during Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to the White House. This is a part of a cooperative agreement between the United States and Australia.


"Canberra will give $50 million and Washington will add another $15 million," reported Reuters citing senior administration official .

China and the United States have both been courting the small and occasionally isolated Pacific island nations with infrastructure building and military alliances in recent years.

US President Joe Biden has also pushed for US dominance in telecommunications services, seeing the industry as a key national security issue given the control it affords over information flows worldwide.

Google is presently developing a fiber-optic cable that connects Taiwan, the independent island that China claims, with the Philippines and the US.

According to the source, as part of the Pacific islands project, the United States will collaborate with the nations on cybersecurity resilience and assist them in backing up important data to global cloud networks.

Inputs from Reuters