Google To Invest $1 Billion To Enhance Digital Connectivity To Japan With Two Subsea Cables

In the ever-digitizing world of IoT and wireless devices, connectivity has become paramount. Businesses rely on strong and reliable internet connections for communications, operations, collaborations, manufacturing, workflow optimization and other processes.

Furthermore, multinational corporations find the need of reliable digital connectivity even more vital as they have employees, offices, production houses and factories spread across numerous regions.

Even smaller businesses possess such requirements as they deal with other organizations from other countries.

This is where subsea (submarine) communications cables come in. They connect various land-based stations using cables laid out on the seabed, offering resilient and reliable communication capabilities and digital connectivity.

This is what Google is looking to achieve with its latest announcement.

So, what did Google reveal? Let’s explore!
 

What Did Google Announce?

 

• Through a blog post published on Google’s website, the company announced it was investing $1 billion in boosting digital connectivity to Japan with two new subsea cables.

• The two subsea cables, sourced from NEC Corporation, will be called Proa and Taihei.

• The move, which includes the expansion of the Pacific Connect initiative (the addition of the Honomoana and Tabua transpacific subsea cables), is being developed in collaboration with partners such as KDDI, ARTERIA, Citadel Pacific, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

• The two cables will create new fiber-optic routes between the continental US and Japan, while improving the reliability and resilience of digital connectivity between the two countries as well as multiple Pacific Island countries and territories.

• Additionally, the move promotes Google’s Japan Digitization Initiative.

• Proa, which gets its name from the traditional sailing canoes in the Marianas, will connect Japan, the CNMI and Guam. Additionally, the NEC cable system Taiwan-Philippines-US (TPU) will be extended to the CNMI and establish a new route between the continental US and Japan.

• Taihei, which means “peace” and “Pacific Ocean”, will include an NEC cable connecting Japan to Hawaii and see Tabua extend to Hawaii. Upon completion, the Taihei and Tabua systems will create a diverse path between the continental US to Japan.

• In addition to this, Google will also fund the construction of an interlink cable connecting Hawaii, the CNMI and Guam to further improve reliability and latency-reduction.

 

What Did Stakeholders Say?

 

• Makoto Takahashi, President, Representative Director, CEO at KDDI Corporation, said, “Google and KDDI have a long history of collaboration on submarine cables, including cable landings in Japan. KDDI is delighted to embark on this new project, and the collaboration will contribute to increasing the reliability of submarine cable networks in the Pacific.”

• Tatsuya Abe, President and CEO at ARTERIA Networks Corporation, said, “Connectivity between Tokyo — the heart of the Internet in Japan — and overseas has been concentrated in Minami-boso, Chiba Prefecture. The Ibaraki region, including Takahagi, had not had any submarine cable landings for over 20 years until the arrival of Topaz, which ARTERIA has supported.”

• [Contd.] “Leveraging the landing facilities for the Topaz project, we are delighted to partner further with Google for this visionary initiative, which will contribute to strengthening Japan's digital infrastructure. As a partner of the Pacific Connect initiative, we look forward to its future development.”

• Arnold I. Palacios, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, said, “We are deeply honored to have the privilege of naming the cable 'Proa' and participating in the unveiling of this transformative network set to revolutionize connectivity in the CNMI.”

• [Contd.] “Our heartfelt thanks go out to Google for their steadfast dedication to including the CNMI in the Pacific Connect Initiative, perfectly aligning with our vision for a more connected, resilient, and technologically advanced Pacific region.” 

• Through the blog, Brian Quigley, VP, Global Network Infrastructure, Google Cloud, said, “With increased access to digital services, more people can take advantage of skill development and career opportunities, while businesses and public sector organizations can better serve their customers and constituents.

• [Contd.] “We’re excited about the long-term benefits that these latest Pacific initiatives will bring to people, our users, and our customers.”

Do you think this move will improve business relations between the two countries along with other connected countries in the region? Do you think it provides Google with an advantage as a service provider choice for businesses?

Let us know in the comments below!