Google Joins Hands With Chilean Government To Establish First APAC-Linking Undersea Cable

The Chilean government and Alphabet Inc’s Google GOOG GOOGL have made public their collaboration on a pioneering project – an undersea fiber-optic cable connecting South America with the Asia Pacific region.

What Happened: The Chilean government and Google announced their alliance on Wednesday to build the inaugural undersea fiber-optic cable between South America and the Asia Pacific, as per Reuters report.

The project, dubbed the Humboldt Cable Project, will stretch from Valparaiso, a port city in Chile, to Sydney, Australia, covering a distance of approximately 14,800 kilometers or 9,200 miles. The cable is projected to have a lifespan of 25 years, as mentioned in an official government statement.

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“This cable will consolidate Chile’s position as the center of digital activity in South America,” said President Gabriel Boric, adding that the venture will spawn new industries and jobs, thus enhancing working and living conditions.

Why It Matters: The partnership comes amidst a tech rivalry between China and the U.S., vying for economic and political influence in Latin America. Past fiber-optic cable projects to Asia, including two involving Google, were intended to link to China but were either blocked or re-routed due to U.S. intervention, as reported by Reuters.

This collaboration ties into Google’s recent initiatives to expand its fiber-optic network. The tech giant last year launched a 20Gbps internet service through Google Fiber, after a significant expansion to multiple U.S. cities.

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