Google announced the Firmina, the world’s longest undersea cable connecting the East Coast of the United States to Lastoninas, Argentina. Firmina provides access to Google services on the South American continent from Lastoninas to Praia Grande, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay.
As for the reason for the establishment of Firmina, Google says it plans to use Firmina to improve access to Google services for users in Latin America as people and businesses have become dependent on digital services for many aspects of their lives. Firmina accommodates 12 fibers on a single cable and enables fast and secure transport of traffic between North and South America. Through this, users can access Google services such as Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube quickly and with low latency.
Firminas are submarine cables with a single power supply capability that can operate from a single power source on the other side even if one power source is temporarily unavailable. This power feature is important for increasing reliability, which is an important priority for Google’s network. The submarine cable transmits an optical signal through the data cable fiber optic, but this optical signal is amplified every 100 km by a high-voltage current supplied from the submarine cable landing point. Relatively short submarine cables can be operated from a single power supply.
However, in the case of a long submarine cable that crosses continents, it is necessary to amplify the optical signal using multiple power sources. However, Firmina is succeeding in realizing the single-ended power supply capability while connecting the Americas. In addition, the single-ended power supply capability is realized by supplying a voltage 20% higher than that of the existing system.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai said through his Twitter account that Firmina is announcing Firmina, which is the world’s longest submarine cable that can be operated with a single power supply if necessary. To improve access, it has been posted from the east coast of the United States to Argentina.
Firmina is named after Maria Firmina dos Reis, who worked to abolish slavery in Brazil. Related information can be found here.