Facebook among investors to build Asia Pacific Gateway
updated 03:27 pm EDT, Thu July 5, 2012
Facebook will help build 6,200-mile underwater fiberoptic cable to connect South Asia
The construction of the Asia Pacific Gateway, which comprises a 6,200-mile underwater fiber-optic cable system that would connect Asian countries, will count Facebook among its investors, the BBC reported. It would run between Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, with offshoots connecting other nearby countries and speeding up data transfers. Exactly how much Facebook will devote to the project hasn't been revealed, however.
A consortium of companies will pool together to infuse the project with $450 million. China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Japan would all benefit from the Asia Pacific Gateway.
Completion of the Gateway is due to end during the summer of 2014. It uses 40Gbps optical transmission technology and features a total design capacity of 54.8 Tbps. It is also said to be future-proof to allow for retrofitting 100Gbps fiber-optic cable.
