- Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT -0.8%) and Facebook (FB +1.2%) are teaming up to lay a new subsea cable across the Atlantic to set a new standard for trans-Atlantic data transfers.
- The MAREA cable combines eight fiber pairs and an initial transfer capacity of 160 Tbps, and is designed to be openly interoperable with a variety of networking equipment. It will run 6,600 km and take a more southerly route than other systems, connecting Northern Virginia to Bilbao, Spain, and then to other network hubs in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
- Building the cable begins in August, with completion expected October 2017.
- Telxius -- the infrastructure unit that subsea veteran Telefonica (TEF +1%) is considering giving an IPO this summer -- will manage the new system.