A proposed cable connecting Port Vila, Vanuatu, to Lifou, New Caledonia, has received backing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

ADB will provide financing to support Prima Limited on the development of the 411 kilometer (255 mile) Tamtam system.

“The Tamtam project in Vanuatu is a milestone as it is ADB’s first transaction under our new Wayfinder Program,” said ADB President Masato Kanda.

“It will ensure reliable Internet connectivity while also improving disaster resilience, both of which are essential for ni-Vanuatu businesses and communities to prosper.”

ADB will offer technical assistance, alongside a $4.5 million loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources, and a reimbursable grant of up to $1.9m from the private sector window of the bank’s fund.

The small nation of Vanuatu, in Melanesia, Oceania, already has one cable connecting to Fiji, with Tamtam aiming to offer redundancy alongside the ICN1 system.

Currently set to launch in December 2027, the cable is set to be the first in the Pacific to use Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) technology, and the first such system in a public-private partnership.

SMART sensors provide environmental monitoring and early warning data for natural hazards, and capture data on ocean temperatures, sea levels, and other climate-relevant measurements. Data will be freely accessible to the scientific community and civil protection authorities in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Tamtam will be supplied by Alcatel Submarine Networks.