Datagrid New Zealand has signed a supply and installation contract with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and OMS Group (OMS) for a new optical submarine cable system connecting Invercargill to Melbourne. Under the contract, ASN will supply the submarine cable system, while OMS will carry out the marine survey and the installation of the cable, which is part of Datagrid’s planned Tasman Ring Network. According to Datagrid, the Tasman Ring Network will be the first international submarine cable to land in the South Island and will spanning about 2,300 kilometres. It will be equipped with a minimum of eight fibre pairs, delivering a design capacity of at least 160 Tbps and opening a new digital route across the Tasman Sea.