Southern Cross NEXT

Overview

Southern Cross NEXT is a transpacific submarine cable system spanning approximately 13,700 kilometres. It connects Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Tokelau, and the United States, serving the central and south Pacific corridor between Oceania and North America. The system is owned and operated by Southern Cross Cable Network.

Route and Landings

In Australia, the cable lands at Alexandria, New South Wales. In Fiji, it comes ashore at two points: Savusavu and Suva. The cable also reaches Tabwakea in Kiribati, providing connectivity to that island nation. In New Zealand, the landing point is Takapuna. Nukunonu in Tokelau represents one of the more remote landings on the system. In the United States, the cable lands at Hermosa Beach, California.

Ownership and Operators

Southern Cross NEXT is solely owned by Southern Cross Cable Network, the operator behind transpacific cable infrastructure connecting Australasia with the United States. As the single owner, Southern Cross Cable Network holds full operational responsibility for the system.

Status and Timeline

Southern Cross NEXT reached its Ready for Service date in 2022, making it among the more recently commissioned transpacific cable systems in this corridor.

Regional Context

The transpacific corridor linking Australasia and the United States is served by several cable systems of varying lengths and vintages. Southern Cross NEXT, at 13,700 kilometres, is considerably shorter than many of its regional peers, reflecting its focus on the central and south Pacific rather than broader trans-ocean spans. The original Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN), which became ready for service in 2000 and stretches approximately 30,500 kilometres, shares a number of the same country endpoints. The forthcoming Bulikula cable, planned for 2026, will also serve the Fiji–United States segment. Project Waterworth, at 50,000 kilometres, represents a far larger planned undertaking across the Pacific.

Based on 92 ping tests conducted over the past 60 days, Southern Cross NEXT records an average round-trip latency of 162.1 milliseconds, with a best recorded measurement of 137.7 milliseconds.

Strategic Role

Southern Cross NEXT provides transpacific connectivity across six countries, with a particular emphasis on extending cable access to smaller and more geographically isolated territories. The landings at Nukunonu in Tokelau and Tabwakea in Kiribati are notable in that these locations have limited submarine cable options compared to larger regional hubs. Alongside its legacy counterpart SCCN, this system gives Southern Cross Cable Network a dual-cable presence on the Australia–Fiji–New Zealand–United States corridor, with the additional inclusion of Kiribati and Tokelau expanding the geographic reach of the network.