Solomon Islands govt snags submarine cable loan

The Solomon Islands’ government has confirmed that it will borrow USD78 million from Asian Development Bank (ADB) this year to fund the deployment of its own, as-yet-unnamed fibre-optic submarine link. The initiative, which will be managed by the Solomon Oceanic Cable Company (SOCC), itself co-owned by the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund (SINPF) and Solomon Telekom Ltd (STL), will link the Solomon Islands to the rest of the world by connecting to existing infrastructure linking Sydney and Guam. The cable project will also encompass a domestic cable link between Auki and Noro, while microwave and satellite links will be extended to the Choiseul and Isabel provinces.