APAC Issue 4 2018 - Leading Teams

18 APAC / Issue 4 2018 , Fast, Direct & Secure Southern Cross Cables owns the major telecommunications cable networks between Australia, NewZealand, Fiji and across the South Pacific to the United States of America that provides in excess of an estimated 50%of all internet connectivity out of Australia and New Zealand. We invited Craige Sloots to provide us with an overview of the company and its overwhelming success. Founded in 1998, Southern Cross Cables supply capacity to the major telecommunication companies in the region so that they can carry their customers’ telecommunication needs, including telephone calls and internet data, the services that people use at home and work every day. Featuring as APAC’s Leaders in Telecommunications within North Island, there are many aspects which help the company to stand out apart from its competitors. Craige explains the foundations of the success at Southern Cross Cables, and how the team has worked hard to capitalise on these achievements and attract the best business in the industry. “Southern Cross Cables built its current figure eight cable in 1999 to provide a strong and robust connection, during a time when capacity was scarce as the growth of internet traffic was in its infancy. Our north-south capacity (between Australasia and the United States of America) was only 20Gb – equivalent to twenty Gigatown 1Gb connections in Dunedin today. “In the intervening years, we have continued to invest in upgrades of the terminal equipment at the ends of the cables to provide greater capacity, and as technology has also developed Southern Cross Cables has commissioned new upgrades that have progressively increased the systems available north-south capacity to almost 12Tb, or 600 times the original capacity.” When discussing the firm’s overall mission, Craige goes into detail about the steps the team at Southern Cross Cables to achieve their goals, as well as how they ensure each client receives the best possible outcome. “At Southern Cross Cables, our goal is to be the best submarine cable company in the world, – in terms of customer service, network performance, shareholder value, and long-term value. Although we are a small company, we have set ourselves big goals to strive for. “The goals are the incremental difference we try to make every day. This is keeps our goals very real and tangible for us, and keep us grounded and focussed on continuous improvement. “As for the steps we take to ensure our clients receive the best possible outcome with us, we plan and execute in a managed manner. Large complex infrastructure projects between continents and islands always involves managing and controlling a vast number of construction, finance, legal, regulatory and commercial matters even before you get to operate and deliver services. Working with our shareholders and construction partners, we ensure every project has the greatest possible likelihood of successfully delivering the agreed outcomes on time and in full. “The criticality of the service we provide, and our attitude of quietly just ‘getting on with the job’, may have been the reason for being nominated this year. Over the last 18 years Southern Cross has ensured the carriage of Australia, New Zealand’s and Fiji’s Telecommunications traffic, both North and South has been seamless and almost event free. The advantages of a dual path self-restoring network such as the Southern Cross Cable Network are manifest when compared to a single strand stand-alone cable. None of our customers who have purchased restoration paths have lost service.” Operating within the ever evolving technology industry, there are many developments and advances which the firm must adapt to accordingly to continue its accomplishments. 1804AP06