AUCKLAND, New Zealand and HONOLULU, Sept. 11, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hawaiki Cable Limited, the New Zealand owner and developer of Hawaiki submarine cable system, has selected Hawaiian Telcom Services Company, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. (Nasdaq:HCOM), as its landing partner in Hawai'i.
As part of its system architecture, Hawaiki will land its proposed 14,000 km trans-Pacific cable from Australia and New Zealand to the US West coast in O'ahu, Hawai'i.
Under the Letter of Intent signed by both parties, Hawaiian Telcom will provide Hawaiki with turnkey infrastructure and connectivity, including a cable landing station and terrestrial infrastructure in Makaha, O'ahu. Hawaiian Telcom will also be responsible for all permitting activities in Hawai'i.
Rémi Galasso, Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiki Cable Limited, said O'ahu is a strategic hub for traffic diversity in the North Pacific region and presented the best opportunity to interconnect with other cable systems.
"We have great expectations for our Hawai'i landing station and took our time to select the best partner. As the leading communications provider in Hawai'i, Hawaiian Telcom has a deep understanding of the local regulatory process as well as the knowledge and expertise to deliver a truly open access cable landing station that will offer a wide range of domestic backhaul solutions to Hawaiki's customers," said Galasso.
"The Hawaiki submarine cable system offers additional broadband capacity from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific to our state, which will strengthen our collective efforts to meet the growing global demand for increased bandwidth," said Eric K. Yeaman, Hawaiian Telcom's president and CEO. "As an experienced provider of cable landing station services, Hawaiian Telcom is pleased to have the opportunity to play a strong, supporting role in this endeavour that will help meet the trans-Pacific capacity needs of the people and businesses of Hawai'i for many years to come."
With all four landing points finalized, including Sydney in Australia, Whangarei in New Zealand, Pacific City in Oregon and O'ahu in Hawai'i, Hawaiki will now start the permitting process in each of the respective countries.
Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to historical information, this release includes certain statements and predictions that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, any statement, projection or estimate that includes or references the words "believes", "anticipates", "intends", "expected", or any similar expression falls within the safe harbor of forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act. Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those indicated or suggested by any such forward-looking statement for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, Hawaiian Telcom's ability to maintain, or expand its market position in communications services, including voice, video, Internet, data, wireless, and advanced communication and network services; general economic trends affecting the purchase or supply of communication services; world and national events that may affect the ability to provide services; changes in the regulatory environment; any rulings, orders or decrees that may be issued by any court or arbitrator; restrictions imposed under various credit facilities and debt instruments; work stoppages caused by labor disputes; and Hawaiian Telcom's ability to develop and launch new products and services. More information on potential risks and uncertainties is available in recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Hawaiian Telcom's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The information contained in this release is as of September 11, 2014. It is anticipated that subsequent events and developments may cause estimates to change, and the Company undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements.
About Hawaiki Cable
Hawaiki Cable, headquartered in Auckland, is a New Zealand registered bandwidth supplier in the Pacific submarine cable market, and the owner and developer of the Hawaiki submarine cable system. The Hawaiki cable is a repeatered submarine cable system with a design capacity of 20 Tbps linking Whangarei, Sydney, Oahu and Oregon, on the US West coast. For more information, visit www.hawaikicable.co.nz.
The Hawaiki Submarine Cable logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=27607
About Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom, headquartered in Honolulu, is Hawai'i's leading provider of integrated communications, data center and entertainment solutions for business and residential customers. With roots in Hawai'i beginning in 1883, the Company offers a full range of services including voice, video, Internet, data solutions, managed services, data center services including colocation and virtual private cloud, and other cloud-based services, and wireless supported by the reach and reliability of its network and Hawai'i's only 24/7 state-of-the-art network operations center. With employees statewide sharing a commitment to innovation and a passion for delivering superior service, Hawaiian Telcom provides an Always OnSM customer experience. For more information, visit www.hawaiiantel.com.
The Hawaiian Telcom Holdco, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10087
