Humboldt Connect: Company in charge of the first submarine cable to cross the South Pacific
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Desarrollo País y Google se unen para crear Humboldt Connect, empresa a cargo del primer cable submarino que cruzará el Pacífico Sur, Gentileza

Humboldt Connect: Company in charge of the first submarine cable to cross the South Pacific

In an agreement signed by Desarrollo País (Chile) and Google, Humboldt Connect is the name of the company that will lead the marketing of the capacity of the first submarine cable between South America and Oceania.

The Government of Chile, through Desarrollo País, a state-owned company that promotes infrastructure projects, signed the partnership contract with Google that gives rise to the joint-ownership company Humboldt Connect, through which the optical fiber capacity of the underwater cable directly connecting South America and Oceania will be activated and marketed, being the first of its kind in the area.

The new company will be responsible for managing one to two pairs of submarine dark fiber, activating the capacity acquired through specialized operators, and marketing directly or indirectly at a global level.

It is worth noting that participation in the society that Humboldt Connect shapes considers equivalent investments between Development Country and Google (50%-50%), and marks a key step towards the strategic objective of positioning Chile as a digital hub of the southern hemisphere.

FROM VALPARAÍSO TO AUSTRALIA


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Humboldt Connect's aim will be to ensure the success of the commercial operation, from management with sales agents to relations with international clients in the telecommunications, content, and academic networks sector.

"This project, which will connect the Region of Valparaiso with Australia through more than 14,000 kilometers of cable, represents a concrete expression of how we envision Chile's place in the 21st century: as an open, trustworthy country fully committed to active international engagement, with a vocation to be the bridge between South America, Asia-Pacific and Oceania," highlighted the Foreign Minister Van Klaveren.

"This infrastructure has the potential to benefit neighboring countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, facilitating their access to more diversified, secure, and efficient digital routes," said Minister van Klaveren, adding that "we reaffirm our vocation to be a meeting point and regional joint effort, promoting a digital integration that is inclusive, sustainable, and oriented towards shared development."

On the other hand, Minister Muñoz stated that Chile is a country that is at the forefront of technology in the region. As a government, we work day by day to consolidate this position and create the conditions for new investments of this type to reach our country. Humboldt Connect is proof of this vision and commitment, because it is much more than a technological project, it is a concrete signal of how Chile can lead the development of digital infrastructure from the southern part of the world and through an unprecedented alliance between Google and Desarrollo País.

Along the same line, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Claudio Araya, stated that "the idea of a cable that crosses the entire South Pacific was born in the second government of President Bachelet, continued its course through each administration, and was finally realized during Gabriel Boric's presidency. As the President aptly mentioned in the public hearing, it will be the first fiber optic cable in this part of the planet. This not only represents the government's will to advance in technological matters in favor of the country's development but also speaks of a state that has a strategic vision concerning telecommunications, considering them a driver of investment and development".

Desarrollo País and Google join forces to create Humboldt Connect, a company in charge of the first submarine cable to cross the South Pacific. MTTChile

"With the work of Humboldt Connect, we will take a decisive step towards materializing an efficient, competitive business model for public-private partnership, aligned with the strategic interests of the state. Chile will no longer be just a transit point, it becomes a key player in global connectivity between Latin America and Asia-Pacific," said Patricio Rey Sommer, general manager of Desarrollo País.

At Google, we are very proud of this monumental alliance that Humboldt Connect is creating today. This is not just a cable, it is a fundamental pillar for the digital future of Chile and the entire region. Humboldt represents unprecedented connectivity, which will translate into higher speed, greater capacity, and a more robust and resilient internet infrastructure for millions of people. We are convinced that this initiative will boost development, innovation, and equal opportunities in our continent, bringing people closer together and opening a world of possibilities. We are thrilled to be part of building a more connected Chile and continent, stated Edgardo Frías, General Manager of Google for the Andean Region.

A LONG WAY

The Humboldt project has gone through a journey of multiple strategic and technical stages. Between 2019 and 2020, the Subsecretariat of Telecommunications led the studies of economic, technical, and geopolitical feasibility, which confirmed the viability of a direct connection between Chile and Australia. In 2021, Desarrollo País assumed the leadership of the project, launching an international tender (RFP) in 2022 to validate the updated system costs and signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Google in 2023, laying the foundation for the partnership.

Finally, in 2024, the marine seabed survey was completed using a specialized vessel, which allowed the definitive route to be determined and ensured the operational viability of the cable, this being a key milestone in the whole process. The cable deployment is considered for 2025-2026 and its commercial operation in 2027.

It should be noted that the ceremony was led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, in conjunction with the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz, and included the participation of the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Claudio Araya; the Chairwoman of the Board of Development Country S.A., Luz Granier; the general director of Google for the Andean Region, Edgardo Frías; the general manager of Development Country, Patricio Rey, and the director of Telecommunications Infrastructure for Google in Latin America, Cristian Ramos, in addition to authorities and representatives from the telecommunications industry.