Google in $102m Aussie-US deal to run internet cables to Pacific islands

October 25, 2023
MediaIntel.Asia

Washington DC | Alphabet’s Google will run undersea cables powering internet access to at least eight Pacific island nations under a joint US-Australian deal set to be announced on Wednesday, according to a US official.
The deal will expand an existing commercial project by Google in the region to the nations of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Set to be announced during an official White House visit by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the previously unreported deal involves contributions from both governments.
Canberra will contribute $US50 million ($78.9 million) and Washington is adding another $US15 million, according to a senior administration official.
The tiny and sometimes isolated nations of the Pacific have become an area of intense focus in recent years, with both China and the United States courting them with infrastructure development and military partnerships.
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.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.



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