Oman Australia Cable (OAC)

Overview

The Oman Australia Cable (OAC) is a submarine cable system spanning approximately 11,000 kilometers, directly connecting Oman and Australia across the Indian Ocean. This cable system, which became operational in October 2022, was developed by SUB.CO in partnership with Omantel as the landing partner in Oman. OAC provides a vital alternative route for data traffic between Australia and the Middle East, bypassing the heavily congested and geopolitically sensitive Asian chokepoints such as the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. The cable's strategic design offers increased resilience and diversity to global communication networks.

OAC is notable not only for its length but also for its unique routing. By avoiding traditional northern paths through Asia, the cable provides a direct western connection between Australia and Oman, enhancing connectivity to Europe and the Middle East. This design is particularly significant for reducing latency and mitigating risks associated with reliance on single routes prone to congestion or geopolitical disruptions.

Route and landings

The OAC system connects five landing points across the Indian Ocean, creating a strategically important link for both mainland and island territories. The primary landings include Perth in Western Australia, Barka in Oman, and West Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian territory. Additional landings are located in Diego Garcia, a British Indian Ocean Territory, and Salalah in southern Oman. A planned extension to Djibouti further underscores the cable's role in connecting key regions.

Geographically, the cable traverses the Indian Ocean, one of the world's largest and most geopolitically significant bodies of water. The inclusion of remote islands such as Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Diego Garcia is particularly noteworthy, as these locations serve as strategic nodes for regional connectivity. Perth, a major Australian city, links the cable to the Equinix PE2 data center, while Barka connects to the Equinix MC1 facility in Oman. These data centers are critical hubs for international communications, ensuring seamless data transmission to and from the cable's endpoints.

Ownership and history

OAC is owned by SUB.CO, an Australian operator focused on developing innovative submarine cable systems, with Omantel serving as its landing partner in Oman. The system was constructed by SubCom, a leading supplier of undersea cable technology. The cable officially entered commercial service on October 23, 2022, marking a significant milestone in global connectivity.

Initially designed with three fiber pairs, the OAC system had an estimated capacity of 39 Tbps. In 2023, the cable underwent an upgrade using advanced technology, increasing its capacity to approximately 48 Tbps. This enhancement ensures sufficient bandwidth to accommodate growing data demands between Australia, the Middle East, and Europe. The cable's development reflects a strategic effort to diversify Australia's international connectivity, which has historically relied on northern routes through Asia.

What our measurements show

Our live monitoring of the Oman Australia Cable reveals key performance metrics across its 67 measured corridors. The best round-trip time (RTT) recorded is 1 millisecond, with an average RTT of 299 milliseconds. These figures highlight the cable's efficiency in transmitting data across vast distances. The latency between Perth and Muscat is approximately 97 milliseconds, offering a low-latency connection between Australia and the Middle East.

The cable's strategic routing has significant implications for global network resilience. By bypassing congested Asian chokepoints, OAC reduces correlated risks for Australian connectivity. Additionally, the inclusion of landings at remote locations like Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Diego Garcia enhances the cable's role as critical infrastructure in the Indian Ocean. Our probes indicate that the cable's performance remains stable, providing reliable connectivity to underserved regions while supporting high-capacity data transmission between continents.