Signal Datagrid signs contract for Tasman Ring subsea cable linking NZ South Island to Melbourne

Summary

New Zealand data centre operator Datagrid signed a supply and installation agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks and OMS Group on August 6 2026 for the Tasman Ring Network subsea cable. The 2300 kilometer cable will connect Invercargill on New Zealand's South Island with Melbourne, Australia, and is designed with at least eight fiber pairs and 160Tbps of minimum capacity. Once completed it will be the first international subsea cable to land on New Zealand's South Island, with a targeted service ready date of 2029. The cable is part of a larger roughly 6000 kilometer Tasman Ring Network project linking Auckland, New Plymouth, Greymouth and Invercargill with Sydney and Melbourne. The full project targets capacity of up to 540Tbps.