Humboldt Cable

Humboldt Cable is a planned fiber optic submarine communications cable that will connect Chile with Australia, becoming the first-ever link between South America and the Asia-Pacific region.^[1][2][3]

Humboldt Cable
Owners: Google, Chile
Landing points Valparaíso, Chile Sydney, Australia
Total length	14,800 km
Date of first use	2027 (expected)

As of 2025^[update], the plan is to build a 14,800-kilometre (9,200 mi) cable from Valparaiso, Chile, to Sydney, Australia, via French Polynesia.^[4][5]

History

The proposal for a direct fiber-optic link between South America and Asia was introduced during Michelle Bachelet's second administration in Chile, between 2014 and 2016.^[6] In 2017, Chile's Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel), with support from the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), conducted a pre-feasibility study with China's Huawei, which identified three possible routes from Chile, all terminating in Shanghai: Auckland–Sydney–Shanghai, Tahiti–Shanghai, and Auckland–Shanghai.^[7] These studies identified the Valparaíso-Sydney route as the optimal option.^[8][9]

However, a year later, Australia banned Huawei from participating in its planned 5G networks.^[10] In 2019, the Chilean government received political pressure from the United States, including a visit from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to refrain from contracting Huawei for 5G technology, as part of a Washington campaign "against the Chinese company and the risk of Beijing collecting sensitive data."^[7]

In 2021, the Chilean stated-owned enterprise Desarrollo País assumed leadership of the project, launching an international request for proposals the following year to validate the updated system costs. Two years later, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Google, laying the foundation for the partnership.^[9][11]

Following the 2024 Leaders' Summit of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, held in the United States,^[3] the partnership was first announced by the Chilean government in January 2024. it stated that the cable would have a capacity of 144 terabytes per second and a lifespan of 25 years.^[1] In June 2025, Chile and Google signed an agreement to install the submarine fiber-optic cable. Operations are expected to begin in 2027.^[12]

Investment and ownership

As of June 2025^[update], Google has invested between $300 million and $550 million in the project, while the Chilean government had committed $25 million.^[1] Desarrollo País and Google will each hold a 50% stake in the joint venture.^[13]

Among the benefits, the cable promises more robust and stable internet connections, as well as efficient exchange of scientific data between South America and the Asia-Pacific region.^[14] Latin American governments—including Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil— have also expressed interest in participating in the initial phase of the project.^[12]

Proposed landing points

1. Valparaíso, Chile^[5]
2. French Polynesia
3. Sydney, Australia