The company claimed that the project, referred to as SMAP, has achieved “contract in force” status.

The new 5,000 km cable system will be built by Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and installed by Optic Marine Systems.

Australia’s first national fibre backhaul network HyperOne will mark the first stage of construction.

The 12 fibre pairs, according to Subco, will leverage spatial division multiplexing (SDM) technology, and is expected to deliver over 300Tbps per section at 15Tb/KW.

Subco claims this will be 25x more energy efficient than legacy terrestrial inter-capital systems. It is designed to become the “lowest carbon per terabit long-haul network in Australia.”

“This is a significant feat that will be achieved through the installation of solar and renewable infrastructure at all cable landing station locations, as well as the purchase of 100% renewable energy,” the company said in a statement.

“SMAP is well-positioned to achieve a series of firsts: Australia’s first long-haul submarine cable to utilise SDM technology; the first fully armoured long-haul cable system in Australia; and the first zero carbon long-haul cable system in the world. Once built and operational, SMAP will be the most advanced, secure and innovative submarine cable ever built in Australia,” said Subco founder and CEO Bevan Slattery.