Kordia chief executive Geoff Hunt – whose mission to build a second cable across the Tasman has been ignored by the present government – seems to have found a partner in the new venture launched this afternoon by Rod Drury, Sir Stephen Tindall
Kordia chief executive Geoff Hunt – whose mission to build a second cable across the Tasman has been ignored by the present government – seems to have found a partner in the new venture launched this afternoon by Rod Drury, Sir Stephen Tindall and Sam Morgan.
The government has been cool on providing any direct funding for a second fibre link, which would break the 50% Telecom-owned Southern Cross Cable’s monopoly.
Communications Minister Steven Joyce has looked asked the SOE to build a business case, but Kordia’s on-again-off-again negotiations with potential partner Pipe Networks have dragged on for more than two years.
Mr Hunt said that Kordia has been in discussions with Mr Drury and others over the past few months, and is looking forward to working with them but that “It’ll take more than a lone player to make that happen by 2012,” says Hunt.
“It makes sense for Kordia to team up with Pacific Fibre. Kordia's focus, however, will remain transtasman.”
Pacific Fibre co-founder Rod Drury in turn told NBR he was “very open” to working with the Crown company, and cooperating with the New Zealand and Australian governments in general.
