Google will partner with Algar Telecom (Brazil), Angola Cables (Angola), and Antel (Uruguay) to build a submarine cable system that will connect Santos and Fortaleza in Brazil with Boca Raton, FL, via the undersea cable deployment expertise of TE Connectivity SubCom. This is the second major submarine cable network in which Google has taken a publicly acknowledged stake.
The submarine network will traverse 10,556 km (6,560 miles) with six fiber pairs. It will have an initial system capacity of 64 Tbps. Construction is expected to begin immediately and is planned to be completed by the end of 2016.
The new system will aim to provide additional transport of Internet and other traffic throughout Latin America. While it might seem odd that Angola Cables would be involved, the company already operates cable systems in the South Atlantic as well as in Africa.
Google’s involvement in this project follows the announcement this past August that it would support the construction of the FASTER transpacific undersea fiber-optic cable system (see "Google joins Asian carriers to build FASTER submarine network").
For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.