New Internet Cable from NZ to US confirmed!
The new cable which is to be priced around $500 million has been announced and will bring extra connectivity and higher bandwidth from large US sites for streaming, downloads and high def video conferencing and to be completed mid 2018.
The Southern Cross Cable which will potentially start to deteriorate in 2030 but Spark’s spokespeople believe that for at least the next ten years The Southern Cross Cable will be first choice for NZ customers.
There was worry for a number of years that a freak accident to the Southern Cross Cable could leave NZ cut off from the US data points and a second cable may alleviate this.
Will it mean better speeds and connectivity for Kiwis?
The companies involved with the cable say yes but ultimately that will be up to the NZ providers to purchase a larger share of the bandwidth for its customers.
Possible Con?
With the Southern Cross Cable (featuring the figure of 8 design for distater security. With a possible 14 years of high performance left its owners be able to upgrade the cable, make plans for a new cable or a backup plan now a second cable has been announced? (even if it is rumoured to be less robust and doesn’t have a failsafe like the current figure of 8 design?)