Google and Facebook to install 8,000-mile internet cable between LA and Hong Kong

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

An 8,000 mile undersea internet cable connecting Los Angeles to Hong Kong is set to be built across the Pacific Ocean by 2018.

Google is teaming up with Facebook, Pacific Light Data Communication, and TE SubCom to construct a system that’s twice as powerful as the record-holding Faster cable that went live in June, which was said to be 10 million times quicker than a modem.

According to the researchers, the new ultra high-capacity system would be able to support 80 million simultaneous HD video conference calls between Asia and North America, and will bring faster speeds and increased security.

Plans for the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) were announced on the Google Cloud Platform Blog.

The cable will be the highest capacity trans-Pacific system, with a capacity of 120 terabits-per-second, and is the sixth undersea cable the Google has taken part in.


Just months ago, Google revealed the completion of its subsea cable system that stretches from the United States to Japan.

The $300 million ‘Faster’ cable system is backed by six companies, including Google, and runs through the Pacific Ocean from Oregon to Chiba and Mie.

The system currently has a greater total capacity than any other undersea cable, Google SVP of Technical Infrastructure Urs Hölzle revealed in a blog post.

It can deliver 60 terabits per second of bandwidth 5,600 miles across the ocean, bringing high speed connection to users in the US and Japan. It transmits multiple colours of light over various frequencies, using a repeater to reenergize the light roughly every 37 miles.

 

[Caring1]

The question is why?
Why China and why Japan?

 

[R-T-B]

The question is why?
Why China and why Japan?

Presumably because they are directly across from us, and our chief trade partners.

You know money makes the world go round. When Australia starts making cheap junk for Americans at under minimum wage, you can have an internet tube, too.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

And china will tear that cable out as soon as they fully assimilate Hong Kong. There has been quite a few high profile Hong Kong folk who oppose the 'takeover' but China will not stop, Most of the long time resident Hong Kong populace there dont have faith in China keeping their promises because of the Tiananmen Square Massacre back in '89. With China its either their way or the highway. The only reason why China hasnt shot all the protesters yet and folks who oppose their ruling is because of social media & news coverage. Slaughtering innocent people at a protest wont be tolerated by the international community (for a second time)

 

[Caring1]

When Australia starts making cheap junk for Americans at under minimum wage, you can have an internet tube, too.

Only if it's filled with cats, otherwise the interwebs won't work.

 

[slozomby]

Why China and why Japan?

streaming bad kungfu movies and anime?

 

[rtwjunkie]

Ok, I'll bite. Work with me now, and please explain anything I may have gotten wrong.

Presumably, this will be on the ocean floor. It will have to cross the major tectonic plate intersection in which the westward-moving plate plunges down underneath the other one and subsequently gets melted. This is a volatile region, with actual movement noticeable in mere years. It also has a lot of volcanic and or/magma zones.

Assuming I have all those basic Geology 101 concepts in place from my Freshman year in college, how do they propose this cable will either not get destroyed, or melted or ripped out of Los Angeles?

 

[Easy Rhino]

Ok, I'll bite. Work with me now, and please explain anything I may have gotten wrong.

Presumably, this will be on the ocean floor. It will have to cross the major tectonic plate intersection in which the westward-moving plate plunges down underneath the other one and subsequently gets melted. This is a volatile region, with actual movement noticeable in mere years. It also has a lot of volcanic and or/magma zones.

Assuming I have all those basic Geology 101 concepts in place from my Freshman year in college, how to they propose this cable will either not get destroyed, or melted or ripped out of Los Angeles?

I can't possible explain it, but my gut tells me it is expensive so they have indeed accounted for all of the variables.

 

[natr0n]

UERT

Underwater Ethernet Repair Team

 

[R-T-B]

UERT

Underwater Ethernet Repair Team

Sounds like poorly thought-out competition for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

 

[rtwjunkie]

UERT

Underwater Ethernet Repair Team

Now THAT is funny!

 

[Sasqui]

$300 million? Seems cheap, but then again I work on some government projects.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Ok, I'll bite. Work with me now, and please explain anything I may have gotten wrong.

Presumably, this will be on the ocean floor. It will have to cross the major tectonic plate intersection in which the westward-moving plate plunges down underneath the other one and subsequently gets melted. This is a volatile region, with actual movement noticeable in mere years. It also has a lot of volcanic and or/magma zones.

Assuming I have all those basic Geology 101 concepts in place from my Freshman year in college, how do they propose this cable will either not get destroyed, or melted or ripped out of Los Angeles?

a 2 minute read with good links

http://mentalfloss.com/article/60150/10-facts-about-internets-undersea-cables

 

[Caring1]

$300 million? Seems cheap, but then again I work on some government projects.

I guess it is cheap compared to satellites and their expected lifespan.

 

[P4-630]

Here's an interesting map of all cables laying down there:
http://www.submarinecablemap.com/

 

[slozomby]

I guess it is cheap compared to satellites and their expected lifespan.

while satellites have good bandwidth, they also have much higher latency than fiber.

 

[Easy Rhino]

So I did the math and that comes to being able to download roughly 1,535 10 gigabyte blueray rips per second.

 

[Drone]

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

Google said on Tuesday it would add five regions and build three new submarine cables as it expands its infrastructure for cloud customers.
The company, which has invested $30 billion in infrastructure over the past three years, said its Netherlands and Montreal regions will open in the first quarter of 2018, followed by Los Angeles, Finland, and Hong Kong.
Google plans to commission the three subsea cables in 2019, the internet giant said in a blog post.

The subsea cables include: Curie, a private cable connecting Chile to Los Angeles; Havfrue, a consortium cable connecting the United States to Denmark and Ireland; and Hong Kong-Guam Cable system, a consortium cable interconnecting major subsea communication hubs in Asia.

https://blog.google/topics/google-c...infrastructure-new-regions-and-subsea-cables/