Manatua Consortium Coordinates Joint Response To Submarine Cable Fault
by Manatua Consortium · SCOOPThe Manatua Consortium confirms that a technical fault has occurred on the Manatua Cable approximately 144 kilometres offshore from Samoa, resulting in degraded internet services in some countries.
The Manatua Cable is a 3,600-kilometre fibre-optic submarine internet cable connecting Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. The system includes cable landings in Samoa and Niue; Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands; and Bora Bora and Tahiti in French Polynesia. The cable was deployed across the South Pacific in 2019 and is the first and only submarine internet cable to directly connect Niue and the Cook Islands.
Initial diagnostic testing has identified an electrical shunt in the vicinity of Repeater 2, an undersea component used to maintain the strength of the optical signal along the cable. Current information indicates that the fault is associated with the cable system’s submerged equipment rather than external physical damage caused by events such as seismic activity or anchor drag.
A permanent repair to the affected section of the cable requires the mobilisation of a specialist submarine cable repair vessel. The Manatua Consortium partners are working collectively to secure and engage a suitable vessel and specialist crew to carry out the repairs.
The fault primarily affects internet connectivity used by Niue and the Cook Islands. Telecommunications providers in both countries have activated their respective contingency arrangements; however, customers may experience reduced capacity, slower speeds or other service degradation while the cable is being repaired.
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The nature and extent of any service impacts may differ between providers. Customers should continue to refer to their local telecommunications provider for information relating to individual services and network performance.
The Manatua Cable is a regional collaboration initiated in April 2017 through the signing of an international treaty by the President of French Polynesia, the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, the Prime Minister of the Independent State of Samoa and the Premier of the Government of Niue.
The Manatua Consortium comprises Office des Postes et Télécommunications in French Polynesia, Avaroa Cable Limited in the Cook Islands, Telecom Niue Limited in Niue and Samoa Submarine Cable Company in Samoa.
The four Consortium partners remain united in their response and are working together to restore the cable safely and as quickly as practicable. Further updates will be provided as the technical assessment and repair arrangements progress.
Pepe Christian Fruean, of Samoa Submarine Cable Company says “The Manatua cable represents an important connection between our four Pacific nations, and we are responding to this fault in the same spirit of cooperation in which the cable was established. Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia are working as one Consortium to secure the specialist vessel and technical support needed to restore the cable safely and as quickly as practicable for all our impacted users.”
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