Why Darwin could become 'a major interconnection point' for global data

As data centres and fibre-optic cable networks proliferate globally, planning documents show two international subsea cables could soon dock in the Darwin suburb of Fannie Bay.

An application lodged with the Development Consent Authority shows tech giant Google plans to connect its "Bosun" subsea cable to infrastructure on the corner of Atkin Drive and Conacher Street.

Subsea cables are fibre-optic wires which run along the ocean floor, transmitting data to onshore landing stations and facilitating intercontinental internet traffic.

The planning application does not detail what the telecom infrastructure at the site will be.

If approved, Bosun will travel through telecommunication conduits — connected to the Fannie Bay site — to Christmas Island, where there is onward connectivity to Singapore.

Bosun forms part of Google's Connect Australia initiative, a network of fibre-optic cables connecting Darwin and Perth to the east coast and trans-Pacific cable networks.

On the parcel of land directly opposite the proposed Bosun site, multinational subsea cable company Inligo Networks is building Darwin's first "open" cable landing station.

According to designs published by Inligo, the station will comprise a single-storey building and is set to harbour part of Inligo's Asia Connect Cable System (ACC-1).

Once complete, ACC-1 will connect Darwin to four Indonesian cities, East-Timor, Singapore, the Philippines, Guam and the US mainland.

It will also connect to Inligo's Unite Cable System — a network linking Darwin, Adelaide and Melbourne, granted major project status under the former NT government.

The facility's "open" status means it will be accessible to multiple telecommunication companies and service providers looking to use one of the cables for their networks.

Proponents set sights on Darwin

Darwin is on track to host five international subsea cables in the coming years, with major tech firms seeking to exploit the city's proximity to south-east Asia and the Pacific.

The NT's first international subsea cable, Vocus's Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable system (DJSC), went online in July 2023 following a government investment of nearly $8 million.

Hawaiki Nui 1, a subsea cable stretching from Singapore to Sydney via the Indo-Pacific, is being developed by digital infrastructure company BW Digital.

Meanwhile, Meta's gargantuan Project Waterworth is on track to stretch around the world — from the United States' east to west coast — will also connect to Australia via Darwin.

Marvin Tan, a senior research analyst from telecom research group TeleGeography, said Darwin is optimally placed to serve markets in south-east Asia and Australia's southern states.

"Traditionally, cables reached the eastern parts or the western parts of Australia, but now you can simply tap into Darwin and the terrestrial network to reach both," he said.

Mr Tan also noted Australia's geopolitical stability and robust legal system, which he said make it an optimal location for data centres and, subsequently, subsea cable development.

Darwin specifically gives international proponents of data centres and subsea cables an opportunity to bypass the South China Sea.

"Instead of going from Singapore to Japan and the United States, you can go south to Darwin and then back to the US, like with Project Waterworth and ACC-1," Mr Tan said.

NT government urges digital investment

The NT Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations has embraced the cables as key in its push to make the Territory a regional digital infrastructure hub, a spokesperson told the ABC.

"The Territory is increasingly becoming a major interconnection point for global digital traffic given its strategic location midway between the region's two current major data centre locations, Sydney and Singapore," the spokesperson said.

ACC-1, the Unite Cable System and the DJSC were all spotlighted in the NT government's Investment Prospectus, published last month.

The document also highlighted the complementary role of data centre provider NEXTDC in developing new fibre-optic infrastructure, such as Bosun and the DJSC.

Mr Tan said it was easy to see Darwin becoming a "network ecosystem" with steady investment in subsea cables, terrestrial cables and data centres.

However, he noted major investment in the region would not take place overnight, with most of the major facilitating infrastructure still years away from becoming a reality.

"The Bosan cable is only going to come online in 2029, and cables like ACC-1 and Project Waterworth are going to come online in 2029 or 2030," Mr Tan said.

He also said Darwin has a lot of catching up to do before its infrastructure can compete with rival investment in southern data hubs.

"Sydney and Melbourne are already attracting huge levels of data centre investment, they are building hundreds and hundreds of megawatts," he said.