Ausdrill, Trident team up for subsea cable

Trident Subsea Cable has enlisted contractor Ausdrill to help it build a fibre optic telecommunications network between Perth and the Pilbara.

Ausdrill subsidiary Diamond Communications will take on the role of strategic designer and construction partner for domestic activity in Western Australia as part of Trident's $400 million plan to build a subsea cable linking Perth, the Pilbara, Jakarta and Singapore.

The partnership has already seen Diamond Communications make an investment in Trident to provide further working capital for the project.

"The commencement of terrestrial surveys by Diamond Communications is truly a major milestone for the project and reflects Trident's collaborative model with our local partners," Trident chief executive Mark De Kock said.

"Through our Perth office we can assure the project realisation commencing in early 2014."

Ausdrill managing director Ron Sayers said the partnership showed WA-based companies had the expertise to take on global competitors.

"Ausdril is very excited to be involved in this project which will provide the WA mining and energy sectors with much needed commercial availability of high capacity, high security and high availability telecommunications connectivity from Perth to the Pilbara."

Trident is one of three companies in the running to build a submarine telecommunications cable connecting Western Australia with international networks.

It is up against SubPartners and Nextgen Networks subsidiary Australia-Singapore Cable, with all three planning to have their version of the telecommunications cable constructed and ready for service between the end of 2014 and mid-2015.