Queensland submarine cable project wins award

A submarine cable project that provides Queensland’s first direct international data and telecommunications connection to global markets has taken out an award.

Sunshine Coast Council has been awarded the Australian Achievement of the Year Award at the MAV Technology Awards for Excellence for the delivery of its International Broadband Submarine Cable project.

The awards recognise outstanding team and individual efforts in the use of technology to improve service delivery and efficiency to local government organisations or communities.

Council facilitated the connection of a new international submarine cable to Maroochydore in March, following an international submarine cable contract agreed between Sunshine Coast Council and RTI Connectivity.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson welcomed the recognition of Council at a national level for improving service delivery and efficiency for the community.

“The cable network has provided our region and beyond with extraordinary capacity to accommodate fast, reliable transfer of data across the world,” Jamieson said.

“This award reinforces our council’s position at the forefront of thinking outside the square, securing new revenue sources and pursuing opportunities to generate economic and employment growth as a major dividend for our residents, supporting our aspiration to be Australia’s healthy, smart, creative region.

“This project was jointly funded by Council and the Queensland Government’s Jobs and Regional Growth Fund, which contributed $15 million towards helping make this investment-generating project a reality,” he said.

Sunshine Coast Council shared the top gong with Alpine Shire, a Victorian Regional Council. The two projects will now be Australian entries in the 2021 LOLA International Awards for Excellence, competing with local government entries from New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, the United Kingdom and Belgium.

The winner will be announced in November 2021 at the LOLA Conference in Florida.

International Broadband Submarine Cable project fast facts:

• The submarine cable project includes the installation of a 550 km undersea fibre-optic cable that will connect the Sunshine Coast to the 7000 km Japan–Guam–Australia submarine cable.
• The cable, which is laid on or buried under the sea floor, connects to the cable landing station adjacent to the new Maroochydore City Centre project.
• The Sunshine Coast International Broadband Network project will help stimulate local business, generate new investment and improve telecommunications diversity to Australia’s east coast.
• The cable will help to futureproof the Sunshine Coast’s telecommunications capacity and increase the region’s smart city capability by ensuring access to important data networks.
• The Sunshine Coast International Broadband Submarine Cable Project is forecast to deliver up to 864 new jobs and stimulate $927 million in new investment in Queensland.
   

Image: Maroochydore cable landing station.