Vocus has upgraded its Adelaide-Perth 2 fibre route, quadrupling capacity on the corridor.
The upgrade adds native 400 Gbps services alongside existing 100 Gbps services. It follows an earlier upgrade to the Adelaide-Perth 1 route, meaning the two links now operate as a dual-system optical platform spanning 2,700 kilometres.
The Adelaide-Perth corridor is a key part of Australia's long-haul fibre network, carrying traffic between data centres, cloud platforms and international networks. Stronger east-west links are becoming more important as data-heavy workloads are distributed more widely across the country rather than remaining concentrated in major city data centres.
The AP2 work gives the corridor four times the capacity of the previous generation. Partners may also find a single 400 Gbps service more cost-effective than four 100 Gbps services because fewer cross-connects are needed at data centres.
Backbone capacity
The network change comes as operators and customers face rising demand for bandwidth from cloud services and artificial intelligence workloads. Vocus argued that the pressure point in Australia's digital infrastructure is now backbone capacity rather than basic internet access.
Long-haul terrestrial fibre routes move traffic over land instead of subsea paths. This can shorten the distance signals travel and provide lower, more consistent latency, which matters for applications that require fast data movement between cities and facilities.
The route also supports traffic moving between Australia's east and west coasts and cable systems linking the country with Asia and the United States. Vocus added that large cloud providers are increasingly sending traffic over land-based east-west routes within Australia.
Optical upgrade
The AP2 upgrade uses Ciena WaveLogic 6 Extreme coherent optics. The system transmits across both C-band and L-band spectrum, the two main frequency ranges used to carry data through fibre.
Using both bands effectively doubles the usable spectrum on the existing cable, according to Vocus. This expands capacity on fibre already in the ground and avoids the longer lead times involved in building new routes.
Vocus said the platform is designed to support higher-rate services as optical technology develops. For now, the immediate commercial change is the addition of 400 Gbps services for customers that need larger links across the route.
Matt Walsh, Chief Customer Officer, Vocus, linked the upgrade to a broader shift in where network strain is emerging. "Australia's national challenge is no longer internet access - it's capacity on the long-haul fibre backbone that forms the arteries of the whole system. Vocus has a deliberate strategy of building the digital infrastructure Australia needs for the AI productivity wave," Walsh said.
He also set the investment in the context of expected traffic growth. "Long-haul fibre infrastructure requires sustained planning and early investment. Upgrading AP1 and AP2 now positions Australia to meet surging east-west data demand as AI adoption accelerates without running into capacity constraints," Walsh said.
The AP2 work sits alongside Vocus investments in other domestic and international links, including the Australia Singapore Cable and projects with Google. Its network includes 50,000 km of fibre linking all Australian mainland capitals and key regional cities, as well as 15,000 km of subsea cables connecting Australia with Asia and the United States.