Tui-Samoa

Tui-Samoa: Connecting Samoa, Fiji, and Wallis and Futuna

The Tui-Samoa submarine cable is a fiber-optic system linking Samoa, Fiji, and Wallis and Futuna, with landing points in six locations across these island nations. Operational since 2018, it is owned by the Samoa Submarine Cable Company and is listed as active in the GeoCables database. Its total length is 1,693 kilometers, making it a relatively short regional cable designed to enhance connectivity in the Pacific. What stands out about the Tui-Samoa cable is the scarcity of publicly disclosed technical details. Information about its design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology is not available in public records, leaving room for speculation about its operational specifics. Additionally, the cable's latency characteristics and redundancy options provide insights into its role within the broader Pacific telecommunications network.

Quick facts

Cable name	Tui-Samoa
Length	1,693 km
Ready for service	2018 (GeoCables database value; conflicting industry sources not noted)
Owner	Samoa Submarine Cable Company
Status	In service
Design capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed
Landing points	Apia (Samoa), Leava (Wallis and Futuna), Mata-Utu (Wallis and Futuna), Savusavu (Fiji), Suva (Fiji), Tuasivi (Samoa)

Show Tui-Samoa on the interactive cable map

Route

The Tui-Samoa cable connects six landing points across three Pacific nations:

• Apia and Tuasivi in Samoa
• Leava and Mata-Utu in Wallis and Futuna
• Savusavu and Suva in Fiji

This route enhances regional connectivity by linking Samoa to Fiji, a major telecommunications hub in the Pacific, and Wallis and Futuna, which previously had limited international connectivity options.

Why it was built and what it carries

The Tui-Samoa cable was constructed to address the growing demand for reliable and high-speed internet connectivity in the Pacific region. Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, and Fiji benefit from improved international bandwidth, enabling better access to cloud services, video streaming, and other data-intensive applications. It also supports economic development, education, and healthcare initiatives by connecting these island nations to global networks.

History: what can be established

The GeoCables database records the Tui-Samoa cable as ready for service in 2018. No conflicting industry sources have surfaced to suggest an alternative date. While the cable's ownership by the Samoa Submarine Cable Company is clear, details about its construction timeline, supplier, and deployment specifics remain undisclosed in public records.

Capacity and technology

The design capacity, number of fiber pairs, supplier, and technology used in the Tui-Samoa cable are not publicly disclosed. Without operator documentation, it is impossible to confirm these details. Given its regional scope, the cable likely employs standard submarine fiber-optic technologies, but attributing specific capabilities would be speculative.

Latency: the physics

The theoretical one-way light propagation latency for the Tui-Samoa cable is approximately 8.3 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 16.6 milliseconds over the wet segment. However, real-world latency is higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing. GeoCables live measurements, which reflect the full internet path rather than the cable itself, show significant variation:

• Suva -> Apia: min 36.9 ms, avg 386.7 ms over 18 checks
• Sydney -> Leava: min 56.5 ms, avg 56.5 ms over 1 check
• Singapore -> Leava: min 149.3 ms, avg 149.3 ms over 1 check
• Almaty -> Leava: min 412.7 ms, avg 412.7 ms over 1 check
• Sao Paulo -> Leava: min 376.0 ms, avg 376.0 ms over 1 check
• Jerusalem -> Leava: min 380.7 ms, avg 380.7 ms over 1 check

These measurements highlight the influence of terrestrial and network routing on end-to-end latency.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

In the event of a failure, redundancy for Tui-Samoa is provided by other cables landing at its key points. For example:

• Apia is connected to the Manatua and Samoa-American Samoa (SAS) cables.
• Savusavu has access to Southern Cross NEXT.
• Suva hosts multiple cables, including APX East, Bulikula, Gondwana-2/Picot-2, Interchange Cable Network 1 (ICN1), Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN), Southern Cross NEXT, Tabua, and Tonga Cable.

This extensive network of alternatives ensures that disruptions to Tui-Samoa would not completely isolate its landing points.

Bottom line

• Tui-Samoa is a 1,693 km submarine cable connecting Samoa, Fiji, and Wallis and Futuna.
• Operational since 2018, it is owned by the Samoa Submarine Cable Company.
• Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
• Theoretical latency is approximately 16.6 ms RTT over the wet segment, but real-world measurements show higher values due to network factors.
• Redundancy is provided by other cables at its landing points, ensuring continued connectivity in case of failure.