The construction of the Tuvalu Vaka subsea cable has begun.

As reported by Submarine Networks, Tuvalu Vaka - meaning a traditional Tuvalu canoe - is being developed by Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation, in collaboration with Google.

Announced in November this year, the subsea cable is a branching unit of Google’s planned Bulikula cable.

Whilst Bulikula connects Guam, the Mariana Islands, Hawaii, Fiji, and French Polynesia, the Tuvalu Vaka system will branch to the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu; the first subsea cable to connect the country.

The cable is expected to have four fiber pairs. Timelines have not been provided.

Tuvalu Vaka will be built by SubCom.

Simon Kofe, Tuvalu’s Minister for Transport, Energy, Communications, and Innovation, said: “This is a very exciting development for us and it opens up many opportunities for society. It forms the backbone of everything we want to do online…it will also stimulate economic opportunity…it’s a game changer for us.”

In October 2023, the US Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to Tuvalu Telecom Corporation for the development of a 15,900km subsea cable between Guam and Samoa with connectivity to Pacific Island countries.

The cable project turned out to be Google’s Pacific Connect initiative. Earlier this year, Google filed an application for the Tabua subsea system. It is also planning the Proa cable, set to connect Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands with Japan.

The US has recently taken an interest in boosting technology projects across the Pacific region, where it competes for influence with China. In September, President Biden announced plans to provide nearly $200 million in funding for projects in the Pacific Islands, including providing an initial investment of $3 million into subsea cable development.