East Micronesia Cable lands in third and final Pacific location of Kosrae, FSM

Following successful landings in Kiribati and Nauru, the East Micronesia Cable has landed in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), its final Pacific nation, with the international telecommunications cable now just months away from being ready for service.

The cable lay ship – the Normand Clipper – successfully landed the cable in Kosrae on 16 August. The occasion was celebrated with an event that marked the formal handover of the Cable Ceremonial Buoy, used to float the cable into shore.

The Honorable Aren B. Palik, Vice President, Governor Kosrae State, Tulensa W. Palik, and FSM Congress Senators Yoselyn Sigrah and Johnson Asher marked the occasion, alongside senior representatives from the FSM national and Kosrae state governments, and the project’s funding partners – Australia, Japan and the United States.

“The East Micronesia Cable will play an essential role in securing FSM’s digital future,” Australia’s Charge to FSM, Ms Sarah McCarthy said. “Australia is proud to celebrate this milestone alongside our partners and invest in critical infrastructure that meets the priorities of communities across the Pacific.”

The AUD135 million project is fully grant funded by Australia, via the AIFFP, alongside Japan and the United States. It will deliver a 2,250-kilometre-long undersea cable and supporting infrastructure connecting Tarawa in Kiribati, Nauru and the state of Kosrae in FSM to the existing HANTRU-1 cable landing point located in Pohnpei, FSM.

The East Micronesia Cable will bring faster, high quality and more reliable and affordable internet to more than 100,000 people across the three Pacific countries, providing better access to services, information and worldwide markets.

The project will improve the availability of digital government services and enable increased trade and employment opportunities. It will also strengthen the countries’ resilience to climate change, assisting governments with disaster and climate change preparedness and reducing the chances of an outage in the event of adverse weather events.

The event follows successful cable landings in Tarawa, Kiribati and Nauru in recent weeks and marks the final connection point for the cable. The cable is expected to be ready for service in November 2025.

Australia is proud to invest in essential infrastructure that meets the priorities of Pacific communities and supports better connectivity within and across Pacific nations.