The Chilean government and Google announced on Thursday the construction of the first undersea fiber optic cable between South America, Asia and Oceania, called “Project Humboldt,” which will enable better digital connectivity between these regions.
The cable, 14,800 kilometers long and with a capacity of 144 terabytes per second, will connect the Chilean city of Valparaiso with Sydney, Australia.
With an initial investment of $55 million, construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 and be completed a year later. The useful life is estimated at 25 years.
“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',” said President Gabriel Boric at the launch of the initiative to the press.
This cable “consolidates Chile's position as a center of digital activity in South America, which will open opportunities for new industries, jobs and better working and living conditions for thousands of people,” he added.
Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs and public policy, emphasized that the cable will help “build a physical connection with Asia.” [et que] It will be a 21st century trade route.”
The US State Department welcomed the initiative, saying it would “accelerate the digital connectivity and integration of South America and Pacific island nations into the global economy.”
This submarine cable project bears the name of the German Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), geographer, naturalist and astronomer, whose surname is also named after the Humboldt Current, which runs along the Chilean and Peruvian coasts, and an endemic species of penguin.