By Kirsty Needham
Publication Date: 2025-12-12 07:07:00
By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Papua New Guinea said on Friday that Alphabet’s Google will build three subsea cables, funded by Australia under a mutual defence treaty, in a key upgrade to the digital backbone of the biggest Pacific Island nation.
Australian and U.S. military strategists view resource-rich but largely under-developed Papua New Guinea (PNG) as having a prized location north of Australia at a time when China is boosting its influence in the region.
The $120-million effort will link northern and southern Papua New Guinea and the Bougainville autonomous region with high-capacity cables, said Peter Tsiamalili, PNG’s acting minister for information and communications technology.
“The entire investment (is) funded through Australia’s commitments under the Pukpuk Treaty,” he said in a statement, referring to the mutual defence pact signed in October.
The project reflected both nations’ shared commitment to advance digital security, regional…
