Telecom NZ, Vodafone NZ and Australia's Telstra have launched the tender for their planned $60 million trans-Tasman subsea cable.
The companies have invited several companies to prepare bids for the Tasman Global Access project, and plan to evaluate the offers in August, Telecom NZ spokesperson Andrew Pirie toldFairfax NZ.
The operators plan to select a winning bidder by the end of the year and commence work on the project early into the next.
In February, the operators announced they had signed an MoU to team up for the cable project, and aim to have construction complete by mid-to-late 2014.
New Zealand currently only has a single international cable link, the Southern Cross Cable (SXC), which is just over 50% owned by Telecom NZ.
While multiple companies have tried and failed to find funding for a new cable to break Telecom NZ's monopoly on international connectivity, critics allege that the operator's involvement in the new project will limit the cable's impact on competition.