It was the cables. The island of Oahu is a hub for transoceanic-communications lines, and Mr. Higgins's startup, Digital Island, is exploiting the location to help companies sidestep Internet traffic jams.
Congestion happens partly because the Web works like a collection of local post offices.
Internet-service providers use devices called routers that examine packets of information and pass them to the next way station. When a customer in Berlin or Tokyo types in the Web address of a U.S. company, that request might pass through routers at dozens of intermediaries before reaching the U.S. server and returning a Web page. Digital Island offers a detour. The closely held company leases circuits on the long-distance cables that converge in Hawaii, linking them to major Internet services in 15 countries. That creates a more direct connection for Web users, replacing the need to pass messages among a host of separate Internet carriers.