ASN and OMS have revealed that their contract with Vanuatu-based telecoms infrastructure firm Prima to build the Tamtam subsea cable has officially entered into force as of Thursday, with the system now scheduled to be ready for service by the end of 2027.
ASN signed a deal with Prima in January 2024 to design, manufacture, and deploy the 375-km Tamtam subsea cable that will connect Vanuatu and New Caledonia, with an option to extend it to Fiji and Australia. OMS has been contracted to install the subsea cable.
Vanuatu’s sole international link currently comes from the Interchange Cable Network 1 (ICN1) system that connected the island to Fiji. ASN said the Tamtam cable will provide Vanuatu with a backup international connectivity route, as well as extend domestic fibre connectivity to Tanna, Norsup and Luganville.
The Tamtam cable will also serve a climate-change monitoring function by integrating ASN’s climate change monitoring solution that uses seismic sensors to monitor seismic activities and tsunami detection.
The cable is part of an industry-wide initiative in conjunction with research and academic communities to transform subsea infrastructure into “Scientific Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (SMART)” cables that serve scientific and resilience objectives. Telkom Indonesia announced a similar project earlier this year with Gadjah Mada University (UGM) to develop an earthquake detection system combining Telkom's subsea cable infrastructure with distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology.
The Tamtam cable is ASN’s second such SMART project following its CAM Atlantic Portugal project, said ASN CEO Alain Biston.
“Vanuatu is particularly exposed to natural hazards, and we are proud that our CC technology, delivered in partnership with OMS, can help strengthen warning systems and protect communities,” he said in a statement.
Prima CEO Simon Fletcher added that the project is a major milestone for Vanuatu/ “It combines improved international resilience, broader domestic fibre access, and advanced monitoring capabilities that will contribute to both economic development and public safety.”
