State of Internet Access in Palau: From Coral Reefs to Starlink
Until 2017 Palau relied entirely on satellite internet, with only about 25% of the population online. In 2017 Palau lit its first fiber link by connecting a spur into the trans-Pacific SEA-US cable, known as Palau Cable 1, near Guam, financed by a $25 million Asian Development Bank loan. Palau Cable 2 is under construction as part of the Echo transoceanic cable, linking Palau to the Google/Meta-led Echo network; activation is now expected in Q1 2025 with a landing station in Ngardmau State and funding from a Japan–Australia–United States trilateral partnership. Mid-2023 Palau experienced a week-long outage of its lone