Google Cloud unveils subsea cable connecting Australia, Thailand

Google Cloud has announced TalayLink, a new subsea cable system that will connect Australia and Thailand to improve digital connectivity across Asia-Pacific and around the world.

The cable will create a new route through the Indian Ocean, bypassing the commonly used Sunda Strait, and is intended to enhance network reach and reliability.

Google Cloud also plans to build connectivity hubs in Western Australia (Mandurah) and South Thailand, aiming to strengthen regional internet infrastructure.

The Mandurah hub will offer a diverse landing point from Perth, while in South Thailand, Google Cloud will work with local colocation provider AIS to use existing infrastructure.

Google Cloud said these projects, together with existing hubs in the Maldives and Christmas Island, will support network resilience for Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and provide links across the Indian Ocean and beyond to the Middle East.

🔗 Source: Google Cloud

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

TalayLink uses an Indian Ocean route that skips the Sunda Strait

The path avoids the crowded Sunda Strait, which adds geographic diversity and cuts reliance on a regional chokepoint.
Subsea systems see about 200 faults each year, mostly from fishing and anchoring, with earthquakes adding risk 1. Narrow straits raise exposure, so a bypass lowers the chance one incident hits several paths.

Operators should build Mandurah to Perth backhaul before activation

New landings spark demand for terrestrial backhaul (land-based fiber links from the beach landing station to city hubs), internet exchanges (facilities where networks interconnect), and nearby data center space. Mandurah, south of Perth, offers room for diverse routes that link the landing hub to Perth’s internet exchanges.
Australia’s SMAP cable landed in Perth in June 2025, linked to Equinix’s SY5 in Sydney, then added landing stations in Adelaide and Torquay 4 5. Early builders of terrestrial links became vital suppliers when operations began in early 2026 4 5. In South Thailand, Google Cloud will work with AIS (Advanced Info Service, a Thai telecom and data center operator) using existing facilities, which creates near-term colocation (third-party data center space) and cross-connect (short, private cables that interlink networks within a data center) options. Investors can check proximity of internet exchange points (IXPs) to the landing, since new cables lift demand for peering infrastructure (arrangements and equipment that let networks exchange traffic directly).