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Hawaiki cable lands in American Samoa over the weekend

This Samoa News photo on Saturday morning, Apr. 21, 2018, shows the vessel, CS Responder, laying the undersea fiber optical cable for Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP, anchored off Fogagogo. Crew on two small boats are seen on the ocean, as VIPs and guests gathered on Fogagogo the high rocky shoreline area - close to the airport runway - to witness the Hawaiki cable landing.  [photo: FS]
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The long anticipated Hawaiki undersea fiber optic cable officially landed in American Samoa over the weekend, with the promise of providing high speed internet connectivity and much improved telecommunication service.

The American Samoa branching unit of Hawaiki, which is owned by Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP, is owned by the government owned American Samoa TeleCommunication Authority (ASTCA), which hosted a cable landing ceremony on Saturday at its main headquarters in Tafuna.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hawaiki chief executive officer, Remi Galasso notes that the new fiber optic cable will provide 200 gigabytes of bandwidth for American Samoa once operational.

Once Hawaiki cable is in service, “ASTCA will be able to supply high speed internet to the whole population [of the territory] and to the neighboring countries as well,” said Galasso to applause from the crowd, which included government leaders, cabinet members, and other invited guests.

According to the CEO, planning for Hawaiki began in 2012 “and it took us six very long years to make it happen.”

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga delivered special remarks saying that Hawaiki will add a second economic-base to American Samoa, whose economy has been dependent for many years on the canneries, which have been facing challenges.

See more details in Monday’s edition.