Secrecy over exact location of submarine cable

The location of an underground submarine cable in Northland will remain a secret.

The company behind the Hawaiki submarine cable system says after performing several surveys of the Bream Bay area it has selected one site which meets its criteria for landing the $400 million trans-Pacific cable.

However, Ludovic Hutier, chief operating officer for Hawaiki Cable, is remaining tight-lipped about its exact location for now.

Earlier this month, Sinclair Investments Group (SIL) Long Term Holdings, the family investment vehicle of Sir Eion Edgar, signed a binding agreement to become equity partners with Hawaiki Cable to build the submarine cable system.

Designed with capacity of more than 25 Tbps, the cable will link Whangarei, Sydney, Oahu and Pacific City, on the US West Coast, by the end of 2017.

It will be the second fibre-optic cable network and third physical cable linking New Zealand with the rest of the world

The submarine cable would "plug in" to another cable once it reached land and would travel to the landing station, according to Hutier.

"We have already performed several surveys of the Bream Bay area and selected our preferred site based on both technical and operational criteria (proximity to land-based telecom networks, access to power, etc).

"At this stage, we cannot disclose the exact location," Hutier said.

He said all submarine cable systems had the same architecture.

"Everything is basically underground ... the submarine cable lands on the shore in a beach man hole, where it interconnects with a terrestrial cable, that goes from the BMH to the cable landing station.

"The station can be an existing building or a creation," he said.

Hutier said the job was "very specific" and would require expertise and experience.

"Therefore, most of the work will be performed by our system supplier. Obviously, we will invite local contractors to participate in the selection process, whenever this is possible," he said.

Investor Sir Eion Edgar said the project represented major progress for the connectivity of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

"This cable will not only provide faster and better internet, but will also significantly enhance the security of our data connection to the globe and, ultimately, improve the everyday life of our communities."

He said SIL had only invested in the project as the family believed it was sound business sense and would make a positive contribution to New Zealand society.

Chief executive officer of Hawaiki Cable, Remi Galasso, said the cable was an important strategic asset for New Zealand and its future generations.

David Wilson, CEO Northland Inc, said the regional economic agency was "quick to offer support as an equity partner some time ago" as it believed the cable was a critical piece of infrastructure that would attract further information and communication technologies (ICT) investment to New Zealand and Northland.

He said Whangarei's geographical location - well removed from New Zealand's existing submarine cables and offering security of supply in the event of a natural disaster - was one of three reasons Whangarei had been chosen.