Google LLC is expanding its undersea cable infrastructure, making a significant investment in a new network that will link Australia with Japan via the U.S. island territory of Guam.

In a blog post published early Wednesday, Michael D. Francois, Google’s head of global network infrastructure, said the new Japan-Guam-Australia Cable System will hook up with its existing Indigo, HK-G and SJC subsea cables. The idea is to form a ring between the key markets of Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore in order to provide better connectivity between these regions and the rest of the world.

This network in turn is connected to Google’s wider subsea cable network in APAC, including Unity, Faster and PLCN, which connect the U.S. with Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

With the new JGA cable system, Google is hoping to provide more scalable capacity for Google Cloud Platform users across its five regions in Asia and Australia, Francois said. The system involves two fiber pairs connecting Japan to Guam, and an additional two fiber pairs linking Guam with Sydney.

“Whether we’re delivering directions to Maps users, videos to YouTube viewers, or GCP services to businesses, we know a fast and reliable infrastructure makes all the difference,” Francois said.

Alcatel Submarine Networks SAS and NEC Corp. have also invested in the JGA cable system, which will stretch some 9,500 km under the ocean, Francois said. The northern segment of the cable linking Guam to Japan is being built by a company called RTI Connectivity Pte. Ltd. Meanwhile, the southern segment that links Guam to Australia is being built by a consortium that includes RTI-C, Google and AARNet Pty Ltd.

Google offers lots more information about the extent of its undersea cable network here.

Image: Pascal_Treichler/Pixabay