SubCo to build 850km Sydney–Melbourne fiber route by June 2028

SubCo announced this week that it will build SM-1, an 850km greenfield terrestrial fiber route connecting Sydney and Melbourne, due live in June 2028.

The company said the network will deliver a minimum of 96 fiber pairs between Australia's two largest data center markets, providing domestic route diversity on a new, independent path. SubCo is part of Bevan Slattery's Soda Group, owns the Oman Australia Cable and is developing several domestic and international subsea systems around Australia.

Speaking at the AusNOG conference in Brisbane last month, Slattery said Australia needed more survey capability and its own vessel able to lay and repair submarine cables, according to reporting first published by ITNews. He said he would decide by the end of the year whether to buy a cable ship. A vessel could cost in the region of AU$250 million (US$174 million) and be built and delivered by the end of 2029 if ordered on that timeline. The company may also buy an uncrewed surface drone for surveys, and would look to secure government funding for a vessel.

SM-1's minimum of 96 fiber pairs is four times the 24 pairs specified for each of the three Indo-Pacific subsea cables SubCo announced in September, though the two sets of figures describe different route types. In September, a US$300 million, 25-year commitment turned SubCo's APX East cable into contracted infrastructure.