The 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.”
