A cable landing station has been delivered in Pohnpei, Micronesia.

Pohnpei is one of four states comprising the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).

Located in the North Pacific Ocean, the islands of Pohnpei and Kosrae in the FSM are set to receive the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) connecting them to Tarawa in Kiribati and Nauru.

The 2,250km EMCS cable will link to the existing Hantru-1 cable that connects Pohnpei to Guam and the Marshall Islands. It is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

In May last year, it was reported that the prefabricated landing stations would be delivered by DXN. The subsea cable will be built by NEC Corporation.

At the time of the project announcement in 2023, Glenn S. Harris, acting secretary of the Department of Transportation, Communications, and Infrastructure at the FSM, said: “The project will support equal access to digital connectivity across all of the FSM and greatly enhance the ability of all states to access information and essential services.”

The AU$135 million (US$84m) project is being funded by Australia, with a grant of AU$60 million (US$37m) via the AIFFP, alongside Japan and the US.

The AIFFP (Australian Infrastructure Financing for the Pacific) provides loan and grant financing to Pacific island countries for infrastructure projects. The AIFFP funded a project for a subsea cable in Timor-Leste in 2023.

The subsea cable project will be the first cable to land in Nauru. Pohnpei is also home to the Chuuk-Pohnpei domestic subsea cable.