The East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) has landed on the island of Nauru.

“NFCC is proud to announce the successful landing of the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) submarine cable at its cable landing site in Yaren, Nauru,” the Nauru Fibre Cable Corporation (NFCC) announced on LinkedIn this week.

The 2,250km long EMCS is a joint initiative of the Governments of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, and Nauru, and is funded jointly by Australia, Japan, and the United States. The total project value is estimated at AU$135 million (US$95m).

Digicel Nauru CEO, Christopher Manaog, said: “For many years, Digicel Nauru has been committed to connecting our communities. Much of that connection relied on satellite technology, a solution that served us well, but one that’s vulnerable to disruptions, especially during heavy rain. Now, with the landing of the East Micronesia Cable, we’re entering a new chapter. This submarine fiber cable is free from weather-related disruptions. In getting access to the cable, it elevates Digicel Nauru’s network backbone on par with the leading international networks. Briefly, a bigger, better link is coming to Nauru.”

It will run from Pohnpei, a constituent island of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), to Kiribati through Kosrae, another island in the FSM, and Nauru. Onward connectivity to Guam will also be provided through the HANTRU-1 cable, which has a CLS at Pohnpei.

It was first announced in December 2021, and work on the project began in 2022. The systems landed in Kosrae in FSM in May this year and outside Nanikai in Kiribati last month. The system is scheduled to be ready for service at the end of October 2025.

Australian data center firm DXN signed a $3.8m deal in 2024 to manufacture all four of the landing stations.

NEC is leading the construction, supply, and installation of the submarine cable infrastructure. The corporation announced it had acquired the contract in June 2023.

Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic and island nation. EMCS is the first subsea cable to land on the island.

The island has long relied on satellite connectivity, with Intelsat operating an Earth station on the island. Digicel reportedly uses SES’ O3b satellites for capacity.

It now has a Starlink community gateway – which offers Internet transit to other Internet Service Providers, providing “fiber-like speeds” to communities. As noted by Kentick, the Central Pacific island nation of Nauru launched its own Starlink community gateway in December.