HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FIBER LINK (HIFL): STRENGTHENING HAWAIʻI’S DIGITAL FUTURE THROUGH REGIONAL SUBMARINE CONNECTIVITY By Cliff Miyake
The Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link (HIFL) is a next-generation carrier-neutral submarine cable system designed to connect Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island. The project will strengthen resiliency, support economic growth, enable cloud and AI adoption, and enhance Hawaiʻi’s role as a strategic Pacific telecommunications hub. Ocean Networks is responsible for the supply, construction, operations and maintenance of the HIFL inter-island cable system. The project is being overseen by the University of Hawai’i System Office for Information Technology with support from the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi (RCUH).
enabling economic growth, supporting public safety, and extending advanced communications infrastructure into underserved regions. As demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, streaming, telemedicine, education, and government services continues to accelerate, modern telecommunications infrastructure has become essential.
EVOLUTION OF HAWAIʻI TELECOMMUNICATIONS For more than half a century, submarine cable systems have served as the foundation of Ha-
Regional submarine cable systems play a critical role in connecting island communities, 80
SUBBTEL FORUM | Issue 149
waiʻi’s communications infrastructure, enabling connectivity between the islands and linking the state to the global digital economy. From the earliest undersea telecommunications systems that carried voice traffic to today’s advanced fiber optic networks capable of transmitting terabits of data per second, submarine cables have played a critical role in supporting Hawaiʻi’s economic growth, public services, and quality of life. The telecommunications landscape in Hawaiʻi has evolved