I N T E L L I G E N T T E C H N O L O G Y INFRASTRUCTURE

The partnership represents a significant step forward in securing Australia ' s digital and AI future, delivering access to important digital infrastructure that will unlock new economic opportunities and support the modernisation of Australian industries.

Specific to terrestrial and subsea connections, Google and Telstra will deliver resilient and secure connectivity across Australia, including:

• Terrestrial fibre infrastructure: Google will secure inter-city dark fibre capacity on Telstra’ s new state-of-the-art fibre backbone, the Aura Network. By unlocking new opportunities along some of Australia’ s key connectivity corridors, this capacity gives more Australian households and businesses the opportunity to connect faster and more securely with the rest of the world.

• Subsea network integration: Telstra will access Google’ s Pacific Connect and Australia Connect initiatives to use subsea fibre pairs on the Tabua, Proa and Bulikula subsea cable systems. These systems provide Australia with vital connectivity links to Japan, the Pacific Islands and the US, reinforcing Australia’ s potential as a regional connectivity hub.

• Robust security and resilience: By integrating terrestrial and subsea routes, Telstra and Google will each remove single points of network failure, helping to ensure continuous, secure data flows.

Google has selected Telstra and the Aura Network for this partnership to further advance Google’ s AI capabilities in Australia. At the same time, this partnership will enable Telstra to deliver diverse and secure subsea pathways to ensure the nation’ s networks are equipped to handle the growing demands of AI applications and workloads.

Google is working towards a future where every local community and business in Australia has access to the very best of its services and AI capabilities. This partnership will help ensure Google’ s AI services are underpinned by the same reliability and security that Australians have trusted Google to provide for more than two decades, supported by Telstra’ s longstanding leadership in national connectivity and its proven ability to deliver resilient, secure infrastructure at scale.

Strengthening Australia’ s digital resilience, capability and regional connectivity

As AI applications and workloads continue to grow rapidly, the underlying infrastructure must evolve to securely and reliably support data flows not only within Australia, but also across key international corridors. This partnership addresses that need directly. The connective terrestrial and subsea infrastructure will provide redundant routing paths, minimising the risk of disruptions and ensuring that businesses, government services and everyday Australians can experience uninterrupted, high-speed connectivity.

“ Building digital infrastructure capable of supporting the next wave of AI innovation requires deep collaboration and robust physical networks,” said

Bikash Koley, Vice President, Global Infrastructure, Google.“ This partnership brings together Google’ s global subsea capabilities and network innovations and Telstra’ s terrestrial reach to ensure Australians have the secure, highcapacity and resilient digital services they require to compete globally.”

“ This partnership is about enhancing our national capability and ensuring that Australia remains seamlessly connected to the global economy," said Steven Worrall, CEO, Telstra Digital Infrastructure. " The Aura Network is the backbone of Australia’ s digital future; connectivity is its lifeblood. With more than 8,000km already laid across the country and the launch of the Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney coastal routes late last year, the Aura rollout is gathering significant momentum. By also securing fibre pairs along high-demand global routes, Telstra is building resilient, secure and scalable infrastructure that will power the next industrial revolution in a way that supports sustainable, disciplined growth in the long term.”

“ This partnership with Google reflects our shared commitment to Australia and the Pacific at a critical moment, as AI and data-intensive technologies reshape economies. Together, we’ re building the AI-ready connectivity that enables communities and regions to participate fully in the digital economy – supporting innovation and reinforcing Australia’ s role as a regional enabler for cloud, data and AI ecosystems across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond,” said Worrall. �

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