The agreement will see Google secure inter-city dark fibre capacity on Telstra’s Aura Network while Telstra gains access to fibre pairs on Google’s Tabua, Proa and Bulikula subsea cable systems, creating additional connectivity routes between Australia, Japan, the Pacific Islands and the United States.

The companies said the partnership is designed to improve network resilience, security and capacity as artificial intelligence applications drive increasing demand for digital infrastructure.

Under the arrangement, Google will utilise capacity on Telstra’s recently deployed Aura Network, the operator’s national fibre backbone project. Telstra said more than 8,000km of fibre has already been deployed across Australia, including new coastal routes linking Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

The agreement also gives Telstra access to Google’s Pacific Connect and Australia Connect initiatives, expanding the operator’s international network diversity through direct participation in several of Google’s subsea systems.

The partners said integrating terrestrial and subsea infrastructure would reduce single points of failure across their respective networks and provide additional routing options for enterprise, cloud and AI-related traffic.

Bikash Koley, vice president of global infrastructure at Google, said the collaboration reflects growing demand for physical infrastructure capable of supporting the next generation of AI services.

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

“This partnership brings together Google’s global subsea capabilities and network innovations and Telstra’s terrestrial reach to ensure Australians have the secure, high-capacity and resilient digital services they require to compete globally.”

The partnership forms part of Google’s broader investment in infrastructure supporting cloud and AI workloads across the Asia-Pacific region, where hyperscalers and network operators are increasingly investing in fibre, subsea capacity and data centres to meet growing compute requirements.

Steven Worrall, CEO of Telstra Digital Infrastructure, said the agreement would strengthen Australia’s position in regional digital infrastructure markets while supporting future growth in AI-related traffic.

“This partnership is about enhancing our national capability and ensuring that Australia remains seamlessly connected to the global economy,” said Worrall.

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