Google to Build Undersea Cable to Connect U.S., Latin America

Google said Wednesday that it is building an undersea cable connecting the United States, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, to boost internet connectivity between the two continents.

The cable will be the longest in the world. It will extend from the east coast of the United States to Las Tuninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay.

The cable, called Firmina, will be the longest cable in the world, Google said in a blog post, adding that it will extend from the east coast of the United States to Las Tuninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay.

“Firmina will improve access to Google services for users in South America. The cable will move traffic quickly and securely between North and South America, with 12 pairs of fibres, giving users fast, low-latency access to Google products such as Search, Gmail and YouTube, as well as Google Cloud services.

This moves comes amid an increase in demand for online and cloud services as the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed  more shopping and entertainment online.