Google's trans Pacific underwater cable

Google wants to build a trans-Pacific multi-terabit undersea communications cable. This project is planned to be completed by 2009. Cable is already under development for several months, and Google has met with Telstra and Asia Netcomm in Sydney. This cable would run to Australia via Guam and Hawaii.

Interchange cable fees have always been a large issue for Australasian telco’s, with accusations from Australia and Asian countries that they are treated unfairly by US providers in terms of cost for data. In Australia at least, the cost of internet access is significantly higher that in the United States. Google’s move to provide a competitive Pacific Cable service could slash data costs for countries including Australia, Indonesia and even Singapore and Malaysia. This is definitely good news for Australasia and Google who could dominate the data cable market in the region with their planned lower rates and larger cable. There are no reports yet on how Google, Telstra and Asia NetComm will be delivering services. This will be an interesting chapter in the communications history of the Australasian region.

source & image:
tj.com