Construction is underway on the $6.6 million cable landing station, which is the major land-based facility for the $35 million Sunshine Coast International Broadband Submarine Cable network.
The submarine cable landing station will help deliver Australia’s fastest data and telecommunications connection to Asia from the east coast of Australia and the second fastest to the United States via an undersea fibre optic cable.
The landing station is part of the international cable network that will be delivered thanks to $15 million from the Queensland Government’s Jobs and Regional Growth Fund and $20 million from Sunshine Coast Council.
Sunshine Coast Mayor, Mark Jamieson, said the start of construction of the cable landing station marked the next significant milestone in the delivery of the Sunshine Coast international broadband submarine cable project.
“Council is the first local government in Australia to secure an investment in an international submarine cable and with the cable landing station underway, we are ensuring the delivery of the international submarine cable connection is on track to be operational in mid-2020.
“We will be stimulating investment and jobs growth on the Sunshine Coast thanks to the superior telecommunications connectivity and data infrastructure that we will be able to offer and this could serve to attract some of the biggest data users to our region.”
Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick said the cable would prove a key catalyst in boosting the local economy.
“An independent assessment commissioned by council estimates the project will create up to 864 new jobs and could add $927 million to our state’s economy.
“This is a transformative development for the fast growing Sunshine Coast, delivering the only international cable landing on the east coast of Australia outside of Sydney.”
