Google says it will build a new subsea fibre cable connecting the US, the UK and Spain.
This is aimed at boosting transatlantic capacity for data transfer.
It also says the new cable will be one of the first to connect the US and UK since 2003 and will help to increase capacity on the busy global crossroads.
According to Google, cables stretching from New York to Bude in north-east Cornwall and Bilbao in northern Spain, will also mark the first time that Google has laid a cable directly connecting Spanish internet infrastructure.
The project which was named after pioneering computer programmer Grace Hopper, is equipped with 16 fibre pairs which Google says will be a “significant” upgrade to the internet infrastructure connecting the US with Europe.
The cable also incorporates novel optical fibre switching that allows for increased reliability in global communications by allowing rerouting of traffic during outages.
Such outages are relatively common mostly due to accidents.
The network has built-in resilience, with 11 different landing sites for transatlantic cables that ensures that if one is broken, data can continue to be transmitted. Though the exponential rise in data usage year-on-year means that capacity needs to be expanded to meet current demand.
Vice president of Google Global Network, Bikash Koley said “Private subsea cables allow us to plan effectively for the future capacity needs of our customers and users around the world and add a layer of security beyond what’s available over the public internet.”
According to him, Projects to lay more undersea internet cables are still underway, with Spain and Brazil laying one to connect the two countries last year in a bid to reduce their reliance on routing traffic through the US.
Source: APO News
