Argentine regulator Enacom has authorized Google to install its Firmina fiber optic cable in Argentine territorial waters.
This paves the way for the laying of what is expected to be one of the world's longest submarine cables (approximately 13,500 kilometers in length) - a high-capacity submarine fiber optic cable system extending from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to La Stoninas, Colo. Locations will also be opened in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Playa Grande, near Sao Paulo, Brazil.
As Google explains, Firmina will be the longest cable in the world if other power sources (or multiple power sources) are temporarily unavailable, with the cable capable of being powered entirely by a single power source at one end of the cable. Google explained that this is a resilience boost at a time when reliable connectivity is more important than ever. It added that achieving this record-breaking, highly resilient design was made possible by supplying the cable with 20 percent more voltage than previous systems.
With 12 fiber pairs, the cable will carry traffic quickly and safely between North and South America. The cable's final design capacity is 15.03 terabits per second per fiber pair.
The cable is named after the Brazilian writer and abolitionist Maria Firmina dos Reis (1825-1917).
This is the second major announcement in the last few days involving Google's cable TV project. As we reported at the time, the Google Equiano submarine Internet cable, which connects South Africa and Portugal, arrived in South Africa on Monday.
