Grant Aid for the Economic and Social Development Programme:
Supporting Laying Submarine Cables to Kiribati and Nauru under the East Micronesia Submarine Cable Project

Supporting the laying of submarine cables to the Kiribati and Nauru landing stations

The East Micronesia Submarine Cable Project, funded jointly by Japan, Australia, and the United States with a total budget of approximately 95 million U.S. dollars, consists of laying submarine cables, constructing Cable Landing Stations, and providing technical cooperation. JICS's role is to procure components for the submarine cable laying contract in collaboration with Australia and Australian-employed consultants. Using a submarine cable lay ship, Japanese-produced cable (approximately the thickness of a garden hose) and optical signal amplifiers (repeaters) will be laid along about 2,250 kilometers of seabed from Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati to the Republic of Nauru and on to Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The submarine cables will connect to Cable Landing Stations in four locations. The new cables will connect to the Micronesia landing point of the existing HANTRU-1 submarine cables linking Pohnpei and Guam, providing the beneficiary countries with a solid digital gateway to the world.

A collaboration between six countries: Japan, Australia, the United States, Kiribati, Nauru, and Micronesia

For this collaborative project involving six countries, procurement management is conducted within the framework of grant aid for the economic and social development programmes between Japan and the beneficiary countries (Kiribati and Nauru). Consequently, JICS must propose and implement optimal solutions for each relevant agency while coordinating on details with stakeholders at different stages of the overall schedule. JICS continues to manage smooth and orderly procurements to ensure the digital connectivity environment for the region is realized on schedule, with completion planned for December 2025.

Map of the East Micronesia Submarine Cable System

Project Overview

A Japan-Australia-US Collaborative Project Connecting Four Islands in Three Island Nations

The project's objectives are to enhance the telecommunications infrastructure of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Kiribati, and the Republic of Nauru and to promote new economic growth. The project involves Japan, Australia, and the United States jointly funding the laying of submarine communication cables. The submarine cables will provide faster, higher-quality, more reliable, and more secure communications for more than 100,000 people in the three countries, who are currently served by satellite internet connections that are dependent on the weather.

Project Title	Fiscal 2023 Economic and Social Development Programme for the Republic of Nauru (Submarine cables)
Counterpart of Agent Agreement	Department of Information, Communication & Technology, Republic of Nauru
End-user	Cenpac Corporation (NFC Division)
Grant Amount (Exchange of Notes (Bilateral Agreement))	¥1.5 billion (June 2, 2023), ¥61 million (July 5, 2024)
Project Title	Fiscal 2023 Economic and Social Development Programme for the Republic of Kiribati (Submarine cables)
Counterpart of Agent Agreement	Ministry of Information, Communications and Transport, Republic of Kiribati
End-user	Bwebweriki Net Limited (BNL), Kiribati's state-owned telecommunications company
Grant Amount (Exchange of Notes (Bilateral Agreement))	¥2.4 billion (June 5, 2023), ¥124 million (June 7, 2024)