November 10th, 2025Connecting to the world’s global communications network

Victoria will soon be directly connected to the world’s global communications network for the first time.

The state’s first major subsea fibre optic cable will help power data centres and boost disaster resilience.

Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Government Services Natalie Hutchins joined SUBCO CEO Bevan Slattery to officially welcome the arrival of the world’s largest data-cable ship Ile d’Yeu to Victoria.

SUBCO, an Australian-owned telecommunications company, will lay and build more than 5000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure, both undersea and on land, as part of the new Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide-Perth (SMAP) system.

Ile d’Yeu will take the fibre cable – which is about the diameter of a 50 cent piece – and lay it on the sea floor.

The SMAP system will connect Australia’s east and west coasts through Victoria and link directly to key international markets including the United States, Singapore and India, providing a total data transfer capacity of 400 terabits per second.

That’s the equivalent of downloading 50,000 films a second.

The system will support critical infrastructure including data centres which are the foundation of new technologies such as AI and cloud services.

It will also strengthen vital services – including transport, emergency operations, and government communications – during major natural disasters by reducing reliance on existing fibre routes.

As part of the project, the government is supporting SUBCO to establish two new subsea cable landings in Torquay.

The government is also supporting SUBCO to partner with VicTrack to construct a new fibre network along the Melbourne–Geelong rail corridor.

This new fibre network will connect Geelong to Melbourne’s CBD, boosting V/Line’s operational capacity and delivering benefits for commuters across the rapidly growing Geelong region.

Together, these upgrades strengthen Victoria’s position as a leading destination for data centre investment and digital technology innovation – allowing businesses across the state to transmit data faster and more securely.

Construction of the new fibre network along the Melbourne-Geelong Corridor is now underway and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.