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Fibre optic port - Source: ONE News / CNN -
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There is widespread support for a proposed undersea fibre optic cable that backers hope will break the digital divide between New Zealand and the rest of the world.
Internet entrepreneur Rod Drury, Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall and Trade Me's Sam Morgan are some of the names behind the venture.
Pacific Fibre has announced a plan for the $900 million project to be ready in 2013, connecting Australia, New Zealand and the US.
The initial proposal is a 13,000 kilometre long high speed cable which will deliver five times the capacity of the existing southern cross system, which is partly owned by Telecom.
Drury says the venture is necessary because New Zealand is being left behind in the digital divide. He says the idea is to start debate between other industry players and the government to see if they can help.
Drury says it would see huge gains for local businesses, and give New Zealanders better access to developing technologies.
An information and technologies expert thinks the plan is a landmark project. Information and Communications Technology Group chief executive Brett O'Riley says it would mean huge benefits for local businesses as it would enable New Zealand to deliver digital content to the rest of the world.
He says it would ensure there's no capacity or cost constraints for New Zealand to connect with the rest of the world and the infrastructure should set us in good stead for at least a decade.
