Sydney – [23 September 2025] — Southern Cross Cables Limited today confirmed the successful completion of several critical milestones for its flagship Tasman Express subsea cable project, a cutting-edge subsea cable system directly connecting Sydney and Auckland. Designed to meet the surging demand for trans-Tasman data capacity, Tasman Express will deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity that redefines the digital relationship between Australia and New Zealand.
Stretching over 2,200 kilometres beneath the Tasman Sea, the new cable is engineered to support multi-terabit throughput with ultra-low latency—unlocking new opportunities for cloud services, AI training and inferencing, enterprise networks, and digital innovation across both nations.
“Tasman Express is more than infrastructure—it’s a strategic enabler for the region’s digital future,” said Mr Laurie Miller, President & CEO of Southern Cross Cables Limited. “It strengthens our connectivity, enhances resilience, and positions Australia and New Zealand to lead in the global digital economy.”
Scheduled for completion in 2028, Tasman Express will deliver:
- 400 Tbps of capacity across 16 fibre pairs, supporting exponential growth in AI, cloud, and digital infrastructure.
- Optimised latency for next-generation applications, connecting major data centre hubs with unparalleled speed.
- Open Cable System architecture, ensuring compatibility with future submarine line terminal upgrades.
- ASN branching unit technology, enabling optional landings in alternate Australian and New Zealand locations, subject to demand.
“The level of market engagement and confidence in Tasman Express has been exceptional,” said Mr Miller. “We’re seeing strong demand from hyper-scalers, telcos, and enterprise customers who recognise the strategic value of direct, low-latency connectivity between Sydney and Auckland.”
Key Benefits:
- Direct, High-Capacity Route: Reduces latency and boosts performance for mission-critical applications.
- Enhanced Network Resilience: Diversifies existing paths and mitigates risk from outages or disruptions.
- Future-Proof Scalability: Built to support exponential growth in bandwidth demand from hyper-scalers, telcos, and enterprises.
- Regional Empowerment: Improves access to high-capacity interconnectivity between key regional data-centre hubs in Sydney and Auckland.
Tasman Express complements the broader Southern Cross ecosystem, reinforcing Southern Cross’s role as a leading provider of international connectivity across the Pacific. With commercial service expected in 2028, the cable is already attracting strong interest from cloud providers, content platforms, and government agencies.
While the Tasman Express cable system itself is still in project phase, customers can begin scaling their trans-Tasman capacity immediately via Southern Cross’s existing trans-Tasman network links — leveraging the full strength of the Southern Cross ecosystem.
A Smarter, Faster Trans-Tasman Future
From fintech and media to education and remote work, Tasman Express will accelerate digital transformation and economic collaboration across the Tasman. It’s not just a cable—it’s a catalyst for progress.
About the Tasman Express Project
While the desktop study was completed over 12 months ago—an important early step in the planning process—the project has since progressed through a series of significantly more complex and critical milestones. These include finalising the detailed system design, executing open system and marine supply contracts with full costings and deployment timelines, securing landing party agreements and associated backhaul connectivity on both sides of the Tasman, and completing financing arrangements. In parallel, anchor customer discussions are well advanced, with pre-sales closure targeted in the near term.
Southern Cross is showcasing the Tasman Express project at Submarine Networks World (SNW) in Singapore from 24–25 September 2025, engaging with global stakeholders and reinforcing its leadership in Pacific connectivity.
For media inquiries, technical specifications, or partnership opportunities, please contact:
www.southerncrosscables.com
End of Release
About Southern Cross Cables Limited
Southern Cross Cable Limited provides fast, direct, and secure international bandwidth from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific to the heart of the internet in the USA.
The Southern Cross cable network comprises three diverse submarine communications cables from Oceania to the US West coast with a current potential capacity of over 100Tbs. The Southern Cross NEXT cable is the latest high performance express route in the Southern Cross eco-system, providing data centre connectivity between Sydney, Auckland, and Los Angeles.
Southern Cross is currently undertaking the Southern Cross Tasman Express project which will be a high-capacity SDM express route, providing 400Tbs+ of data-centre connectivity between Sydney and Auckland. Southern Cross Cable Limited has offices in Sydney, Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton.
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