Vocus selects UGL as development partner for the initial phase of its Australian Digital Infrastructure Platform

Work is now underway on the first project in Vocus’ Australian Digital Infrastructure Platform (ADIP), with the appointment of UGL as the program’s development partner.

Australia's first ducted intercapital fibre network will connect Sydney and Melbourne, ready for service in 2029 and able to accommodate up to 6,912 fibre cores (3,456 fibre pairs), geared for the requirements of AI workloads.

The Sydney-Melbourne network will result in capital investment of approximately $500 million and create more than 1,000 high-value jobs.

UGL will deliver an early works program for development of the proposed route between Sydney and Melbourne. The initial program includes survey, design, engineering, field validation, stakeholder engagement, project management and cost modelling activities required to prepare the project for construction.

Vocus Chief Technology Officer Nikos Katinakis said UGL’s appointment is an important step forward for the ADIP program.

"We launched ADIP because Australia clearly needs a new generation of digital infrastructure to support growth in AI, cloud and data-intensive workloads,” Mr Katinakis said. “A ducted long-haul network gives us the flexibility to add capacity over time without breaking ground again or interfering with customers’ active networks, while providing greater resilience and protection against cable cuts.”

"We have selected UGL because of its long track record of successful delivery of Australian digital infrastructure. Selecting them as our development partner is the start of detailed route design and readiness activities on this route. Together, we will plan a network with the capacity, resilience and future flexibility required to meet global standards and support Australia’s long-term digital infrastructure needs.”

Vocus Chief Customer Officer Matt Walsh said the project responds directly to customers’ growing need for high-capacity, resilient and scalable connectivity.

“Australian and global customers depend on Vocus for high-capacity, resilient solutions across subsea, intercapital, and metro networks. They are planning for sustained growth in cloud, data and AI workloads, and need confidence that the underlying network will scale with them,” Mr Walsh said.

“The Sydney–Melbourne route – and ADIP more broadly – will give customers access to the capacity, resilience and flexibility they need as their requirements evolve. It is a long-term investment in reliable connectivity and in giving customers greater confidence to grow in an AI-driven economy.”

UGL Executive General Manager, Services Ilija Grgic said UGL was pleased to support Vocus in developing this nationally significant project.

“UGL delivers the critical communications infrastructure that underpins Australia’s digital economy. Our end-to-end capability enables resilient, secure and scalable digital infrastructure,” said Mr Grgic.

“As demand for data centres and mission-critical connectivity continues to grow, we are proud to partner with Vocus to help build the networks that keep businesses, communities and essential services connected.”

Vocus launched ADIP in June 2026 in response to growing demand for digital infrastructure and the clear need to expand Australia's subsea, intercapital and metro fibre infrastructure to support future economic growth and digital transformation.

By 2030, data centre capacity in Australia is projected to triple, with AI workloads driving 85 to 95 per cent of long-haul fibre demand and 70 to 80 per cent of metro demand. Additionally, forecasts indicate the Sydney-Melbourne corridor, which currently carries roughly 40 per cent of Australia's long-haul data traffic, will be undersupplied in the near future without new investment.

ADIP will address Australia's growing fibre capacity requirements driven by AI, cloud and digital infrastructure investment with large-scale investment in thousands of new fibre route kilometres, thousands of fibre pairs and hundreds of terabits of capacity across new and existing routes.

ENDS

For further information, please contact Dan Warne on 0421 027 293, dan.warne@vocus.com.au