A ship that’s conducting surveys for a new under sea fiber optic cable which will run from the US mainland to American Samoa via Hawaii, then connects to New Zealand, has arrived in the territory,
The R.V Geo Resolution is carrying out a survey of the new Hawaiki Sub-Marine cable which the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority is investing in.
An ASTCA statement said the Hawaiki sub marine cable will connect American Samoa to the rest of the world “through faster, more reliable internet than ever before. “
The cable will run from the United States to Hawaii then to American Samoa then on to New Zealand.
R.V. Geo Resolution Captain Mike Hill welcomed ASTCA officials on board today and showed them around the ship.
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The ship was originally a US Military submarine seeker but had been decommissioned after the cold war ended and sold to the New Zealand military.
Eventually it was bought by EGS Survey which is contracted by the Hawaiki Sub-Marine Company.
The ASTCA press release quotes Capt. Hill saying it’s the best ship to do this kind of work because it was built to be very quiet and that gives the surveyors the best possible maps as it bounces sound off the bottom of the ocean.
ASTCA says the new cable would provide faster internet for all the people of American Samoa including Manu’a and Aunu’u and create new economic opportunities for the private sector through call centers that would provide jobs, increased educational opportunities and improvements to the medical field .
ASTCA hopes that the cable will land here in September of next year and go live by June 2018.
