Sub.co has officially started the construction of a subsea cable that will connect the major southern Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. This subsea cable project, named SMAP, has reached the “contract in force” stage. Alcatel Submarine Networks will be responsible for laying the 5000km cable, while Optic Marine Systems will handle the installation. The SMAP cable is a crucial component of Sub.co’s HyperOne project.
The SMAP cable is designed to provide impressive capacity and energy efficiency. It features 12 fibre pairs that will enable over 300Tbps per section capacity, with a high energy efficiency of 15Tb/kW. This level of energy efficiency is a notable advancement, being 25 times more efficient than existing terrestrial intercapital systems along the same route.
The fully-armored submarine cable is expected to offer exceptional uptime and reliability. Sub.co is also emphasizing its commitment to environmental sustainability by aiming for “100 percent carbon neutrality” from the cable’s inception. The company plans to achieve this by incorporating solar and renewable infrastructure at all cable landing station locations and procuring 100 percent renewable energy.
Marine surveys for the SMAP cable will commence before the end of the year, with cable manufacturing scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2024. If all goes according to plan, the cable is anticipated to be operational by the first quarter of 2026.
This project represents a significant advancement over Sub.co’s Indigo Central cable, which has a capacity of 40Tbps and connects Sydney and Perth. In addition to the cities listed, there are hints of potential extensions, such as a connection to Hobart, creating Hobart’s first direct connection to Sydney and Melbourne.