Richard Humphreys |
In a new blog post, Suresh Kumar, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Cloud Infrastructure & Operations, has announced the successful installation of the Marea subsea cable - a joint project between Microsoft, Facebook and telecommunication infrastructure company Telxius.
“Lying more than 17,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, Marea is the most technologically advanced subsea cable to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and the first cable to connect Virginia and Spain, landing in Virginia Beach and Bilbao,” Kumar explains.
Completed in less than two years, the project aimed to improve resiliency for networks across the Atlantic. “The Marea cable’s open design allows it to evolve with technology, ensuring the highest performance for users now and well into the future, even as the global population of internet users grows,” Kumar says. “And make no mistake, the demand is growing. Just think of the many high-bandwidth applications and content you use today such as Skype and Facebook Live, and the volume of streaming videos, movies and music consumed daily. This ability to interoperate with many different kinds of networking equipment brings significant benefits including lower costs and easier equipment upgrades, leading to faster growth in bandwidth rates.”
“At more than 4,000 miles (6,600 kilometers) long and almost 10.25 million pounds (4.65 million kilograms), the Marea cable is a feat of engineering, collaboration and innovation. The cable can transmit up to 160 terabits of data per second. That’s more than 16 million times faster than the average home internet connection, making it capable of streaming 71 million high-definition videos simultaneously.
“In a time when global economies are deepening their reliance on cloud technologies, and both private and public sectors are embracing the opportunities for growth and improvement through digital transformation, we’re energised by the impact the Marea subsea cable will have on the advancement of cloud computing and digital services. And we look forward to furthering our respective investments in building high-tech infrastructure to better connect our world, foster economic growth and advance technological capabilities.”