The Pacific Islands, remote parts of rural New Zealand and poor but populous parts of eastern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are target markets for a new satellite-based project that its backers say will bring low-cost, ultra-fast broadband to areas that are too expensive to reach by cable. The brainchild of Christian Patouraux, a Belgian-born, Sydney-based entrepreneur with a 22-year career in satellite projects, the Kacific Broadband Satellites initiative owes part of its success to the equity funding efforts of boutique Wellington investment and advisory firm, Caniwi Capital, which has helped raise more than US$20 million in equity for the US$147 million project.

The Pacific Islands, remote parts of rural New Zealand and poor but populous parts of eastern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are target markets for a new satellite-based project that its backers say will bring low-cost, ultra-fast broadband to areas that are too expensive to reach by cable. The brainchild of Christian Patouraux, a Belgian-born, Sydney-based entrepreneur with a 22-year career in satellite projects, the Kacific Broadband Satellites initiative owes part of its success to the equity funding efforts of boutique Wellington investment and advisory firm, Caniwi Capital, which has helped raise more than US$20 million in equity for the US$147 million project.