
Ibadan, 20 January 2025. – Vodafone Cook Islands and Rivada have signed an MoU to provide next-generation telecoms connectivity, powering network expansion and digital transformation in the Oceania region and beyond.
Like most countries and territories in Oceania, telecommunications in the Cook Islands is limited by geographic isolation. As a result, Vodafone Cook Islands intends to harness Rivada’s Outernet to deploy resilient connectivity for enterprises and government customers looking for scalable and secure solutions for their expanding networks.
Additionally, with Asia’s subsea cables increasingly becoming a focal point of geopolitical tensions, Vodafone Cook Islands believes the region now more than ever needs resilient infrastructure that is fast, secure and reliable.
The Rivada Outernet is a next-generation low-Earth orbit satellite constellation. Upon full deployment, it will provide gigabit-speed connectivity to any point on the globe, without needing to touch the public internet or any third-party infrastructure.
Combining inter-satellite laser links with advanced onboard processing and unique routing and switching capabilities, this optical mesh network, in which data stays in space from origin to destination, creates an ultra-secure network with pole-to-pole coverage, offering end-to-end latencies much lower than terrestrial fiber over similarly long distances. Consequently, the Pacific islands can benefit from the same high-speed, low-latency connectivity as any urban center.
Phillip Henderson, CEO, of Vodafone Cook Islands, said: “We are happy to partner with Rivada to deploy the Outernet, which offers multi-gigabit network performance together with worldwide reach, enabling us to enhance our connectivity infrastructure and expand services to our outer islands.” The CEO also added, “With next-generation LEO satellite communications, we can empower our remote communities in areas such as online education, health and business services, accelerating technological innovation and economic growth.”