Tamtam: A Regional Submarine Cable Connecting Vanuatu and New Caledonia
The Tamtam submarine cable is a 411-kilometer fiber-optic system that links multiple islands in Vanuatu with New Caledonia. Owned by Prima, the cable is listed as in service, with its recorded ready-for-service (RFS) year being 2027 according to GeoCables data. This cable provides connectivity between five landing points:
Luganville,
Norsup,
Port Vila, and
Tanna in Vanuatu, and We in New Caledonia.
What makes Tamtam notable is its role in connecting geographically dispersed islands in the South Pacific, a region where telecommunications infrastructure is often sparse. However, several aspects of the cable remain uncertain, including its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and specific technological configuration. These details have not been disclosed in public sources, leaving gaps in understanding its full operational capabilities.
Quick facts
| Cable name | Tamtam |
| Length | 411 km |
| Ready-for-service year | 2027 (GeoCables database) |
| Owner | Prima |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Luganville, Norsup, Port Vila, Tanna (Vanuatu); We (New Caledonia) |
Route
The Tamtam cable connects five landing points across Vanuatu and New Caledonia. In Vanuatu, the cable lands at Luganville on Espiritu Santo Island, Norsup on Malekula Island, Port Vila on Efate Island, and Tanna Island. In New Caledonia, the cable terminates at We, located on Lifou Island in the Loyalty Islands. The corridor is entirely within the South Pacific, linking islands that are separated by significant stretches of ocean.
Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, serves as a key hub for telecommunications in the country, and it is also connected to the
Interchange Cable Network 1 (ICN1). Meanwhile, We in New Caledonia is a landing point for
Gondwana-2/Picot-2, providing redundancy options for international connectivity.
Why it was built and what it carries
The Tamtam cable was likely built to improve regional connectivity between Vanuatu and New Caledonia, both of which have limited international submarine cable infrastructure. By linking several islands within Vanuatu and connecting them to New Caledonia, the cable enhances local and regional telecommunications capabilities. It may support internet, voice, and data services for residential, business, and governmental users across these islands. However, without public disclosure of its design capacity or technological specifications, the full scope of its capabilities remains unclear.
History: what can be established
GeoCables data records the Tamtam cable's ready-for-service year as 2027. This date is notable because the cable is listed as "in service," suggesting that it has already been deployed and operational. If industry sources or public announcements suggest a different RFS year, this would indicate either a discrepancy in documentation or a potential delay in official recognition of its operational status. Possible explanations for such discrepancies could include staggered activation of landing points, delays in construction or testing, or differences in reporting standards.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available information does not disclose the design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or specific technology used in the Tamtam cable. Without operator documentation, attributing these details would be speculative. The lack of transparency makes it difficult to assess the cable's ability to meet growing demand for bandwidth in the region or to compare it with other cables in similar corridors.
Latency: the physics
The theoretical one-way light propagation latency over the 411-kilometer wet segment of the Tamtam cable is approximately 2.0 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 4.0 milliseconds. This calculation assumes light travels through fiber at speeds between 200,000 and 204,000 kilometers per second. However, real-world latency is higher due to additional factors such as signal processing in terminal equipment, routing, and the terrestrial network segments.
Live measurements from remote probes show significantly higher latencies for internet paths involving Luganville, Vanuatu. For example:
- Sydney -> Luganville: min 22.8 ms
- Singapore -> Luganville: min 114.4 ms
- Almaty -> Luganville: min 379.5 ms
- Cape Town -> Luganville: min 480.3 ms
- Jerusalem -> Luganville: min 335.9 ms
- Balancer -> Luganville: min 310.6 ms
These measurements reflect the full internet path, including land tails and routing inefficiencies, rather than the cable's intrinsic latency.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If the Tamtam cable experiences an outage, redundancy options exist at two landing points. Port Vila is connected to the Interchange Cable Network 1 (ICN1), which links Vanuatu to Fiji and onward to other international networks. Similarly, We in New Caledonia is a landing point for Gondwana-2/Picot-2, providing alternative connectivity for New Caledonia. Repairs to submarine cables typically involve specialized vessels, and the South Pacific's remote geography may result in longer repair times compared to more accessible regions.
Bottom line
- Tamtam is a 411-kilometer submarine cable connecting Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
- Owned by Prima, it is listed as in service, with a recorded RFS year of 2027.
- Landing points include Luganville, Norsup, Port Vila, Tanna (Vanuatu), and We (New Caledonia).
- Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology details are not publicly disclosed.
- Theoretical RTT floor over the wet segment is 4.0 ms, but real-world latency is much higher due to network factors.
- Redundancy is available via ICN1 at Port Vila and Gondwana-2/Picot-2 at We.