ADB, Prima Limited Sign Vanuatu Cable Deal
ADB, Prima Limited Sign Landmark Cable Deal to Boost Connectivity and Disaster Resilience in Vanuatu
By Asian Development Bank
February 18, 2026
PORT VILA, VANUATU (18 February 2026) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a financing package today with Prima Limited to support the design, build, and installation of the 411-kilometer Tamtam submarine cable connecting Port Vila, Vanuatu, to Lifou, New Caledonia. The project marks a major leap forward for Vanuatu, improving telecommunications services and strengthening natural hazard early warning systems through cutting-edge sensor technology.
“The Tamtam project in Vanuatu is a milestone as it is ADB’s first transaction under our new Wayfinder Program,” said ADB President Masato Kanda. “It will ensure reliable internet connectivity while also improving disaster resilience, both of which are essential for ni-Vanuatu businesses and communities to prosper.”
The financing package consists of technical assistance, a $4.5 million loan from ADB’s ordinary capital resources, and a reimbursable grant of up to $1.9 million from the private sector window of the bank’s Asian Development Fund. ADB’s Wayfinder (Pacific) Program aims to accelerate private sector development across the Pacific using blended concessional finance to de-risk projects and attract investors.
The Tamtam cable will complement Vanuatu’s existing submarine fiber-optic cable connection with Fiji, ensuring no disruption in telecommunications services if one of the cables experiences an outage. Scheduled to enter service in December 2027, the project will also generate local employment and build the capacity of female students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The new cable will be the first in the Pacific to use Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications (SMART) technology. SMART sensors will provide environmental monitoring and early warning data for natural hazards. They will also capture data on ocean temperatures, sea levels, and other climate-relevant measurements. These data will be freely accessible to the scientific community and civil protection authorities in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Prima Limited, a private company incorporated in Vanuatu in 2015, brings extensive local experience to the project, having been established to provide operations and maintenance services for the country’s first submarine cable, the Interchange Cable Network 1.
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