The Chilean government and Google Group announced Thursday the construction of the first submarine fiber optic cable between South America, Asia and Oceania, in a project called “Humboldt” that would allow greater digital connectivity between these regions.
The cable, with a length of 14,800 kilometers and a capacity of 144 terabits per second, will connect the Chilean city of Valparaíso to Sydney, Australia.
With an initial investment of $55 million, construction will begin in 2025 and be completed a year later. The operational life of the project is estimated at 25 years.
President Gabriel Buric announced while presenting the initiative to the press, “After years of work and alliances, we have signed an agreement with Google to build the Humboldt Cable, which will be the first fiber-optic submarine cable that will directly connect South America to Oceania and Asia.”
He pointed out that this cable "strengthens Chile's position as a center for digital activity in South America, which will open opportunities for new industries, jobs, and better working and living conditions for thousands of people."
Google's global head of government affairs and public policy, Karan Bhatia, stressed that the cable will help "establish a physical connection with Asia, (and) will be a trade route in the 21st century."
The US State Department welcomed the initiative, saying it would accelerate "digital connectivity and the integration of South American and Pacific Island countries into the global economy."
The submarine cable project was also named after the German Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), the geographer, naturalist, and astronomer who also gave his name to the Humboldt Current, which runs along the coasts of Chile and Peru, and also to an endemic species of penguins.
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