The construction of the Kumul Submarine Cable Network (KSCN) is to be finished in the third quarter of 2021.
According to PNG DataCo managing director Paul Komboi, while the Coral Sea cable has been online since February 2020, the domestic part has been put on hold because of the COVID restrictions.
Komboi said that the landing is already finished for system 1, system 3 while system 2 landing was completed in 2019.
“The only outstanding work we have with KSCN is the Jayapura leg, which was put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic but we expect to complete work by the third quarter of this year,” he said.
Komboi has verified that the Coral Sea fibre-optic Cable project is commissioned and finished as of February 2020 and is currently in use. All international traffic has been migrated to the Coral Seas cable.
He said that the maintenance is the only work that needs to be done, adding that he is disappointed with places such as Popondetta which are unable to use the cable systems because of the lack of consistent power supply.
Komboi said that one of the concerns is the location of the cables.
He said, “For 2021, DataCo plans to commercialise the KSCN and try to use it to get people to take up capacity and also expand their network from landing stations out to where the activity sites and the main population is.”
