Vocus Completes Final Segment of DJSC Connecting Darwin to Singapore

Vocus has connected its new $100m submarine fibre cable that will position Darwin as a key digital hub for the Asia Pacific region. The new 1,000km cable links Vocus’ existing Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) which runs from Perth to Singapore with the existing North-West Cable System which runs from Darwin to Port Hedland. Combined, they form the new Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable (DJSC) system, stretching 7,700 kilometres between Darwin and Singapore, opening up low-latency connectivity into Asia for Australia’s North, particularly resources operators in the Pilbara. 

The DJSC is a key part of Vocus’ $1 billion, five-year strategy, which also includes Vocus’ Project Horizon, a new 2,000km fibre route from Geraldton to Port Hedland, commencing construction soon. This will connect with the DJSC, establishing a redundant fibre path between Perth and Singapore through the Pilbara, and bring competition in fibre services to the region for the first time.

This final segment – a four fibre-pair cable delivering 40 Terabits of capacity – marks the completion of deployment works for the $500m DJSC system. The new cable segment has been rolling off the cable vessel since late February, and the deep-sea connection was completed in early May by Alcatel Submarine Networks for Vocus.

The DJSC cable has been built with a financial contribution from the Northern Territory Government as part of the overall Terabit Territory strategy, underpinning its ambition for the Territory to become a data centre hotspot for South-East Asia. The NT Government has invested $7.9 million in this critical new infrastructure to link the Northern Territory to Jakarta and Singapore.

The DJSC system is the first international fibre-optic cable connection for Darwin that will provide the connectivity Darwin needs to become a key digital hub for Asia. Ensuring that the Northern Territory has access to the most advanced technology with new international fibre-optic cable connections will position it to accelerate the development of a new data centre industry.

After its ready for service, the DJSC system will help transform Darwin’s economy and establish it as a new high-tech centre in Southeast Asia. The DJSC system unlocks Darwin as a major new data hub for the Asia Pacific and establishes both Darwin and Port Hedland as new entry points for international data into Australia, providing greater resilience and redundancy to ensure international internet connectivity.

The new international link is now undergoing final testing and is scheduled to be ready for service mid-year.