Google, Facebook To Co-build Ultra-high Undersea Route Between Hong Kong And US

(RTTNews) - Google and Facebook have joined with TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. unit, and Hong Kong-based Pacific Light Data Communication Co. Ltd. to co-build a new undersea cable between Hong Kong and US cities with ultra-high capacity transmission. The new route is aimed at expanding capacity for Asia Pacific customers.

The companies anticipate that Pacific Light Cable Network or PLCN will be commercially operational in 2018.

The PLCN, a 12,800 km transpacific submarine cable system, will include TE SubCom's C+L technology. It will provide the first direct undersea route between Hong Kong and Los Angeles, California with ultra high-capacity. PLCN will have an estimated cable capacity of 120 Tbps, making it the highest-capacity trans-Pacific route. At present, the record is held by another Google-backed cable system, FASTER.

Google expects PLCN to bring lower latency, more security, and greater bandwidth to its users in the APAC region. This will also provide enough capacity for Hong Kong to have 80 million concurrent HD video conference calls with Los Angeles.

The latest submarine cable is the sixth in which Google has an ownership stake. Google currently backs Unity, SJC, FASTER, MONET, and Tannat projects.

According to PLDC Chairman, Wei Junkang, PLCN will be among the lowest-latency fiber optic routes between Hong Kong and the U.S. and the first to connect directly using ultra-high-capacity transmission.