Fiber Link Project Seeks Feedback

Image by Ocean Networks

Hawaii’s internet will be receiving an upgrade in the coming years. The Hawaiian Island Fiber Link’s Connect Kakou program aims at increasing reliable internet access for Hawaii’s residents.

The project will be installed by Ocean Networks and focuses on the “middle mile” of internet service, which is the physical fiberoptic system needed to interface with the internet and is typically delivered via undersea cables. Hawaii currently has three such undersea cable systems, with the oldest being 34 years old. According to representatives from the Hawaiian Island Fiber Link project, these internet cables only have a lifespan of about 20 years.

“The state got nervous and started looking down the path,” said Cliff Miyake, chief strategy officer for Ocean Networks at a community meeting Sept. 12 at the Lanikeha Center.

“What we’re trying to do is build a new one that will connect all the Hawaiian Islands together,” he explained.

The 400-mile-long undersea cable will have landing sites on every island, including Molokai.
Having worked with the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, along with diver surveys, the Ocean Networks team explained the cable will be hand-laid along the silt of the western edge of the Kaunakakai Wharf, before coming ashore at the Molokai Yacht Club.

Because the cable will be accessed via manhole, the Ocean Networks team explained that the cable laying process is less invasive. From the Yacht Club, the cable will run via telephone wires to UH Maui College Molokai Education Center, where internet providers will be able to access it.

With growing internet traffic since COVID, residents are depending more and more on these undersea cables and reliable internet connectivity, explained Miyake. The federal government put out funds for internet connectivity projects, which allowed the state of Hawaii to successfully bid for funding to build the new cable. The total system cost will be about $120 million, with Ocean Networks providing half the cost along with installation, according to Miyake.

This new internet supply source will provide approximately 500 terabytes of information per second, which is the equivalent of streaming 138,000 2-hour movies simultaneously. As a “carrier neutral system” the cable will be open for any provider to use. According to Ocean Networks representatives, the Dept. of Hawaiian Home Lands is looking at securing 200 gigabytes for their own unique usage.

While two years of planning and funding have already gone into the project, Ocean Networks still has a way to go before the cable is ready to be installed. Currently in the design, engineering and environmental surveys and assessments phase, the project team hopes to acquire permits in 2025, begin construction in 2026, and have operational service in 2027.

Ocean Networks project representatives came to Molokai for the Sept. 12 meeting to field questions and concerns from residents, although not many specific concerns were raised at the meeting. For Molokai community members who were unable to attend, questions and concerns can be submitted to HIFL.questions@oceannetworks.com.