HIFL Project Advances: Boosting Hawaiʻi’s Digital Future

The Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link (HIFL) project just took a giant leap forward, and it’s a win for connectivity, competition, and the future of the Aloha State’s digital economy. Ocean Networks, the telecom developer behind the project, has tapped Prysmian for submarine cable and International Telecom (IT) for engineering and installation. This isn’t just a vendor selection—it’s a strategic alignment that could redefine broadband access in Hawaiʻi.

HIFL is the backbone of the state’s “Connect Kākou” initiative, a bold push to bridge the digital divide with open-access, carrier-neutral infrastructure. That means no single provider locks up the fiber, no gatekeeping, just raw capacity for any ISP willing to compete. With Prysmian’s 740 kilometers of submarine cable and IT’s engineering muscle, the project is now in high gear.

“This collaboration marks significant progress in the development of Hawaiʻi’s open-access, carrier-neutral inter-island fiber infrastructure,” said Ocean Networks in a statement. And it’s not just about speed—it’s about resilience. Hawaiʻi’s geography demands redundancy, and this project is built to withstand the Pacific’s challenges.

For Prysmian, this is a chance to showcase its latest submarine cable tech in a real-world lab. For IT, it’s an opportunity to flex its engineering and installation expertise across some of the most demanding underwater terrain. But the real winners here? The people of Hawaiʻi.

The project isn’t just about faster streaming or smoother Zoom calls. It’s about closing the digital divide, supporting remote work, and future-proofing the state’s economy. With Ocean Networks at the helm, the HIFL system will be more than a cable—it’ll be a platform for innovation, competition, and equitable access.

The question now is, how will this shape the broader maritime telecom landscape? If Hawaiʻi’s model proves successful, could we see more open-access, carrier-neutral projects in other island nations or remote regions? The HIFL project isn’t just laying fiber—it’s laying the groundwork for a new way to think about connectivity.

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