English (UK) 
简体中文(中国) BW Digital Pte. Ltd. (BW Digital) announced that its subsidiary, Hawaiki Nui Submarine Cable LP, has signed contracts with the Australian Government to enhance international connectivity throughout the Pacific region. The Autralian Government released later that the contracts amount to AU$37.3million in a total.
Hawaiki Nui is a new Spatial Division Multiplexing (SDM) fibre optic cable linking South-East Asia, Australasia and North America. Construction of the system is due to start in 2024, with an expected cable ready for service (RFS) date in 2026.
The contracts, comprising agreements to supply and install branching units and an indefeasible right of use for capacity on the Hawaiki Nui submarine cable, will be funded by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP). These branching units will benefit Pacific island countries by providing the opportunity for operators to branch into the Hawaiki Nui cable trunk, connect directly to regional hubs and benefit from critical diversity and improved latency.
The signing comes as Australia and the United States announced a commitment to work collaboratively with commercial trunk developers and Pacific island countries to provide future connectivity options to support realisation of regional digitisation goals.
BW Digital, a company headquartered in Singapore and an affiliate of BW Group Limited, acquired 100 percent of the shares of Hawaiki Submarine Cable Limited Partnership and International Connectivity Services Limited in 2021. Upon completion of the acquistion, BW Digital owns Hawaiki Cable and its follow-up project Hawaiki Nui.
Both BW Digital and AIFFP didn't announced which countries of the Pacific Islands will be connected to the Hawaiki Nui subsea cable.
Update:
The Austalian Government has awarded HAWAIKI NUI SUBMARINE CABLE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP agreements for a total of AU$37.3million to connect the Pacific Islands to its Hawaiki Nui cable system, including $18,636,434.23 for a Supply and Installation Agreement and $18,636,434.23 for a Capacity Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRU) Agreement, with contract period from 28-Sep-2023 to 31-Dec-2041 for both agreements.
