The Southern Cross Cable network was completed yesterday, as its final segment was brought into service.
The 4,127km segment between Spencer Beach, Hawaii and Morro Bay, California, completes the company's dual cable system and allows it to offer fully protected capacity between Australasia and the United States via its dual cable system.
Baldo Sutich, CEO and president of Southern Cross, says it is now "the only network delivering fully protected capacity on the most direct route between Australasia and the USA. This ensures that our customers receive the continuity of service that is so essential in the online age."
The Southern Cross Cable Network entered into service on 15 November 2000, with a full fibre ring (two cables) between Australasia and Hawaii, and a collapsed ring (single strand) from Oahu, Hawaii to Hillsboro, Oregon and terrestrially to Morro Bay, California.
The completed 30,500km network, which first came into service last November, is now configured in three fibre rings: a southern ring between Australasia and Hawaii, a northern ring between Hawaii and the mainland United States, and a north-south ring between Australasia and the United States.
Sutich describes Southern Cross as "the most secure submarine cable systems in the world. With traffic signals transmitted along two separate cables, Southern Cross can achieve network availability of 99.999%.
"Combined with broadband Internet access, Southern Cross will give Australasians the ultimate online experience, allowing them to fully enjoy broadband technologies such as video and audio streaming, and online gaming."