One of the businessman behind a plan for a high-speed international internet cable says he's confident there will be enough demand to get the project off the ground.
Pacific Fibre, backed by Trade Me creator Sam Morgan and Warehouse founder Stephen Tindall, is looking for investors to back a $900 million plan to establish a high-speed fibre cable linking New Zealand, Australia, and the US.
The founder of the accounting software company, Xero, Rod Drury, is also behind the plan.
Mr Drury told Nine to Noon there is a shortage of long-term infrastructure investments in New Zealand, and raising the money for the project should be straightforward, so long as there is demand from customers.
He says the company will have to sell about $100 million of international broadband a year, and while that might be a stretch in New Zealand, there is five to ten times the demand in Australia.
Mr Drury says a team is working on the project full time and the concept should be firmed up the next three to six months, with a view to having the link operational by 2011 or 2012.
