- Google is investing $1 billion to improve digital connectivity between the United States and Japan with two new subsea cables.
- Google says the two subsea cables, Proa and Taihei, will improve connectivity between the United States, Japan and multiple Pacific island countries and territories.
- The US last year pledged to co-finance two subsea cables, built by Google, to connect the U.S. territory of Guam with hubs in Fiji and French Polynesia, and extend further to remote Pacific islands.
2 new subsea cables to boost connectivity to Japan
Google will invest $1 billion to improve digital connectivity between the United States and Japan through two new subsea cables, the Alphabet-owned company said on Wednesday as Japan’s prime minister visited to boost ties between the two countries. Google said in a blog post that the two subsea cables, Proa and Taihei, will improve connectivity between the United States, Japan and multiple Pacific island countries and territories.
A joint statement issued by the United States and Japan on Wednesday said: “Building on the joint funding commitment of the United States and Australia for the subsea cable last October, the United States and Japan plan to work with like-minded partners to build trusted and more resilient networks and intend to finance the provision of the subsea cable in the Pacific region.”
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Pacific region is a key area
The Pacific region has become a key focus for China and the United States, which are vying for influence in the region and competing with each other for infrastructure and military partnerships. President Joe Biden has pushed for U.S. dominance in telecommunications services, viewing the industry as a key national security issue because it controls the flow of information around the world.
Subsea cables are the backbone of the Internet, carrying 99% of the world’s data traffic.
The United States last year pledged to co-finance two subsea cables, built by Google, to connect the U.S. territory of Guam with hubs in Fiji and French Polynesia, and extend further to remote Pacific islands.
Google said the Proa subsea cable will connect the United States, Japan, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam, while the Taihei subsea cable will connect the United States, Japan and Hawaii.
