Google is planning a large-scale connection of continents: an innovative Internet cable between South America and Asia
Google has announced plans to lay a new oceanic Internet cable. The route was named Humboldt, apparently in honor of 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 toward realization.
The project will cost participants $400 million. In addition to Google, it involves the Chilean infrastructure fund Desarrollo País, the Office of Posts and Telecommunications of French Polynesia, and other participants. The cable will be nearly 15,000 km long and will be completed by 2026.
According to Analysys Mason, the previous submarine cables laid by Google in Latin America and the Caribbean will result in a cumulative increase in GDP of $178 billion between 2017 and 2027, with about 740,000 new jobs created by 2027.
