Length almost 15,000 km
Google has announced plans to lay a new ocean Internet cable.
The route was named Humboldt, apparently in honor of the geographer Alexander von Humboldt. The cable will connect Chile, French Polynesia and Australia and will be the world's first cable to directly connect South America and the Asia-Pacific region across the Pacific Ocean.
A direct fiber optic connection between South America and the Asia-Pacific region has been a goal of the Chilean government since 2016, and now that Google has joined the project, it will finally begin its journey to fruition.
The project will cost participants $400 million. In addition to Google, the Chilean infrastructure fund Desarrollo País, the Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia and other participants are participating in it. The cable length will be nearly 15,000 km, and installation will be completed by 2026.
Analysys Mason estimates that Google's previous submarine cables in Latin America and the Caribbean will add a cumulative $178 billion to GDP between 2017 and 2027; about 740,000 new jobs were created.