1 min read

Briefly: Hawaiki signs Orcon, Mako opens US base

Orcon says it intends to buy bandwidth on the Hawaiki submarine cable currently in the planning stage. The ISP said it will take 40 Gbps in the first year of its deal with increases planned for future years.

Getting big-name customers on board is an important stage for a submarine cable business – being able to show investors there’s a real demand helps grease the financial wheels. Hawaiki has already cut a deal with Australia’s TPG Telecom.

Hawaiki plans a 14,000 km cable linking Australia and New Zealand to Hawaii where it will connect to mainland USA. There are also provisions for connecting Pacific Island nations to the network. The project is due to complete in 2015.

Orcon’s move is interesting. The ISP was once part of Kordia which had its own submarine cable plans. A press statement from Orcon CEO Greg McAlister said the new cable is imperative to New Zealand’s development and the competition would give Orcon better prices, which it can pass on to customers.

  • Cloud network security specialist Mako Networks graduates from San Francisco’s Kiwi Landing Pad to open a new office in the city. The company that started 13 years ago in a Herne Bay flat now also has offices in Auckland, London, Melbourne. Co-founder Simon Gamble says the company has big plans for the US after using a $4.2 million development grant from what was the Ministry of Science and Innovation to get started in that country.
  • What should we make of HP being dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average? It won’t hurt the company directly, investors rarely worry about such matters. On the other hand, being kicked out of an exclusive club for America’s most prestigious companies is a not a good look.
  • Connector Systems will be distributing the Aruba’s product range in New Zealand. Aruba specialises in mobile networking products.
  • Geeks may be thrilled by Apple‘s new iPhones, but the company’s investors are not happy. The company’s share price dropped 5 percent immediately after the launch. These drops are not unusual with investors buying in to much of the hype and speculation ahead of major product launches only to trim their expectation once reality intrudes.