• Google is investing US$ 1 billion to improve digital connectivity between the US and Japan via two new undersea cables.
  • The two submarine cables, Proa and Taihei, will improve connectivity between the United States, Japan, and several Pacific Island countries and territories.
  • Additionally, Google said it would fund the construction of an interlink cable connecting Hawaii, the CNMI, and Guam.

Google will invest US$1 billion to improve digital connectivity between the United States and Japan through two new subsea cables, the Alphabet-owned firm said on Wednesday amid a visit by the Japanese prime minister to boost ties between the countries.

Cooperation with Japan

Google says the Proa and Taihei submarine cables will improve connectivity between the U.S., Japan, and several Pacific Island countries and territories.

According to a United States-Japan joint statement on Wednesday, “Building on the U.S.-Australia joint funding commitment for subsea cables last October, the United States and Japan plan to collaborate with like-minded partners to build trusted and more resilient networks and intend to contribute funds to provide subsea cables in the Pacific region.”

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The two subsea cables Proa and Taihei

According to Google, The Proa subsea cable from Nippon Electric Company (NEC) will connect Japan, the CNMI, and Guam and is named after the traditional sailing canoes of the Marianas.

To further increase reliability in the region, the NEC cable system Taiwan-Philippines-U.S. (known as TPU) will be extended to the CNMI.

As the CNMI’s first international subsea cables, Proa and TPU will together establish a new route between the continental U.S. and Shima, Japan.

Taihei, the Japanese word for both “peace” and “Pacific Ocean,” is another NEC cable that will connect Japan to Hawaii.

Additionally, Google said it would fund the construction of an interlink cable connecting Hawaii, the CNMI, and Guam.

Google also states it will work with Japanese companies, including KDDI, Arteria Networks, Citadel Pacific in the Philippines, and CNMI, to improve digital connectivity in the region.