For Pacific Island countries, undersea internet cables can be crucial.
The number of Pacific Island countries with such connections has increased substantiallyin recent years.
Even so, many countries still rely on a single cable and others have no cable at all.
There are more than 400 submarine cables criss-crossing the worlds seabeds, with a combined length of1.3 million kilometers.
The internet began as a US government project, and it is still dominated by the US today.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Pacific Island countries are keen to improve their connectivity.
In response, aid donors have been funding new cables.
Australia funded the Coral Sea Cable System for Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands that launched inDecember 2019.
New Zealand supported the Cook Islands component of the Manatua cable, which landed in Cook Islands inSeptember 2020. International undersea internet cables for Pacific Island countries.
Chinese companies shut out
The laying of undersea internet cables has become entwinedwith geopolitics.
Such concerns may have been behind a decision todeclare all three bids invalid.
Another possibility is that the USmay step into fund a cable following the same route as initially planned.
This move shut out Huawei Marine, which had been contracted by the Solomon Islandsto do the work.
The cable comes ashore in the Solomon Islands.
Such concerns have increased since Chinese company Huaweistarted to layundersea cables.
Those plans changed after the introduction of Hong Kongs extradition laws and other shifts in its political landscape.
The US has imposedsanctionsagainst Huawei and other Chinese companies.
Sanctions against the company would have stopped the cable projectfrom going ahead.
Ideally, plans for internet connections would put the needs of recipient countries and their citizens first.
New internet infrastructure planning would also take into account theenvironmental consequencesof both construction and operation.
However, in the current context, geopolitical considerations seem likely to weigh heavily on the minds of decision-makers.
The USdominatesthe internet and it is controlling the rollout of internet cables in the Pacific and elsewhere.
It remains to be seen what this will mean for people in Pacific Island nations.
If traditional partner countries consult with local leaders about what they want, then all may be well.
Time may reveal whether internet access in the Pacific region is held back by geopolitical tensions.
