Humboldt Cable gets go-ahead from Chile

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Optical & Fixed Networks; 29 June 2026; 240 views

The approval, early last week, of the installation of Google’s underwater cable linking Chile to Asia-Pacific means the Humboldt Cable, as it is known, is on track to be installed in the last quarter of 2026 and become operational in 2028.

This fibre-optic cable will, it is claimed, make Chile a gateway for data from the Asia-Pacific to South America, turning the country into a regional centre of digital activity.

The latest session of the Regional Coastal Use Commission, led by the Valparaíso regional government, has approved the installation and operation of Google’s Humboldt fibre optic cable system that will connect Chile with Australia.

This is described as excellent news for Chile and the Valparaíso Region, which is positioning itself as a digital hub in South America and a key point for international telecommunications. The cable will also strengthen digital connectivity and information exchange and offer opportunities for technological, scientific and economic development throughout the country.

The Humboldt Cable system, which Google joined in 2024, comprises more than 21,000 kilometres of underwater infrastructure, connecting South America with the Asia-Pacific via two undersea fibre optic cables.

One cable will link the municipality of coastal city Santo Domingo with Sydney in Australia, through a 14,800-kilometre connection comprising 16 pairs of fibre optics. The other will connect Santo Domingo with Panama City, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama, through a 6,500-kilometre underwater route, also comprising 16 pairs of fibre optics.

The project involves a US$11.5 million investment, with 99% contributed by Google and 1% by Desarrollo País, a public company involved in infrastructure projects.