The World Bank has approved a loan to connect Fiji's second largest island of Vanua Levu via submarine fibre-optic cable. The cable landing point on Vanua Levu will be in Savusavu. The connectivity will be achieved via a spur from the Tui-Samoa Cable that is currently under construction and is expected to finish by the end of 2017. The Tui-Samoa Cable (SSCC project) will connect Samoa (Upolu and Savai'i) to Fiji (Suva). Onward international connectivity from Fiji to Australia and the US will be via the existing Southen Cross Cable Network (SCCN).

As stated by the World Bank (WB), the objective of the project to connect Vanua Levu is "to reduce the cost and increase the availability of internet services in the Northern Division of Fiji." Submarine cable connectivity reduces the dependence on more expensive satellite connectivity, whilst also offering higher capacity.

Read the WB press release issued on 30 November 2016: www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2016/11/30/new-cable-project-to-deliver-faster-more-resilient-internet-to-northern-fiji