Americas Connect: Three New Cables
Google has announced a major expansion of its connectivity infrastructure in the Americas, introducing three new submarine cable systems: Alisios, Canoa, and OlaLuz. These will join a new branch of the Firmina cable and existing routes Curie, Nuvem, and Sol to form the Americas Connect network. The announcement was made by Brian Quigley, Vice President of Global Network Infrastructure at Google Cloud.[S1][S2][S6]
For Chile, the key development is Alisios, a cable that will directly connect the country with Panama and the Dominican Republic. The name references the trade winds, historically used by sailors to travel between continents, symbolizing the data flows that will traverse these new underwater routes.[S1][S2][S5]
Pacific Ring and Caribbean Links
In the Pacific, Alisios will create a submarine ring with redundant routes between Chile and Panama, plus a third link from Panama to the US West Coast. This will provide connectivity to Google Cloud regions in Chile, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. In the Caribbean, Alisios will connect Panama with the Dominican Republic, extending to the US East Coast and Google Cloud regions in South Carolina and Virginia.[S1][S2][S5][S6]
The other new cables include Canoa, linking the Dominican Republic with Bermuda, and OlaLuz, connecting the Dominican Republic directly to Florida. These will integrate with Nuvem and Sol to establish routes to the US and Europe, including Madrid. Google will also add a new branch of the Firmina cable to the Dominican Republic.[S1][S2][S5][S6]
Government Praise and Strategic Impact
Chile's Minister of Transport and Telecommunications and Public Works, Louis de Grange, called the project a strategic milestone that reinforces the country's position as a digital leader in Latin America. He said the infrastructure will provide faster, more resilient, and secure connectivity, empowering local businesses and bringing global digital economy opportunities to Chilean homes.[S1][S3][S5]
The announcement comes less than two months after the Valparaíso Regional Commission approved the Humboldt fiber-optic cable system on June 19, which includes over 21,000 kilometers of submarine infrastructure. That project, with an investment of US$11.5 million, is expected to be installed by late 2026 and operational by 2028.[S2]
