The American Samoa Telecommunications Authority (ASTCA ) is seeking funding from the American Samoa Economic Development Authority to fund several projects to improve communications.
The funding request was made by ASTCA’s CEO Folasaitu Sorepa Thomas in a September 22 letter to ASEDA Board Chairman Magalei Logovii.
Three project options were proposed for ASEDA to consider.
$8 million to fund ASTCA’s share in the Samoa American Samoa 2 Submarine Cable. ASTCA officials had explained during budget hearings that it can not sell the bandwidth from the Hawaiki Cable because it needs a larger cable between American Samoa and Samoa that would connect with neighboring countries. The officials said that the current price for the second cable is $17 million, but they were negotiating for a better deal.
The second project is a resilient Cable Landing Station. Estimated to cost $4 to $4.5 million, the facility would support various subsea cables and would enhance digital resiliency and climate adaptation while protecting essential infrastructure.
Also proposed is an upgrade of the mobile core network, which has an estimated price tag of $14 million over 5 years. ASTCA said the upgrade is necessary for compliance with next generation standards and will be phased to mitigate service risks and manage cash flow.
The ASTCA CEO requested ASEDA’s reconfirmation of interest rate terms and repayment schedule, proposing to maintain annual repayments at $1 million over the next five years, instead of step increases.
