---
title: "Google’s Next Subsea Internet Cable to Connect Africa and Europe"
description: "Google just announced plans to build its third private undersea internet cable, expected to begin connecting Europe and Africa in 2021."
date: "2019-06-28"
modified: "2019-06-28"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/google-internet-cable-africa-europe"
categories:
  - "Artificial Intelligence"
  - "Google"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "communications"
  - "Google"
  - "internet cables"
  - "the digest"
---

# Google’s Next Subsea Internet Cable to Connect Africa and Europe

![Google just announced plans to build its third private undersea internet cable, expected to begin connecting Europe and Africa in 2021.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/google-subsea-internet-cable-africa-europe.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Microsoft/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Deep Connection

Google announced Friday that the company plans on building its third international, under-sea internet cable.

The company is calling the cable "Equiano" and [told *Reuters*](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-cable/google-announces-new-subsea-cable-equiano-connecting-africa-and-europe-idUSKCN1TT1O0>) that it expects the cable to be at least partially operational by some time in 2021, when a link between Portugal and South Africa will be completed. The project suggests that, [just like Amazon](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-remars-ai-conference-computing-cult>) and other tech giants, Google is working to cement its role as the basis for the world's digital infrastructure.

## Global Plans

This April, Google completed its first international internet cable, which spans from Chile to Los Angeles, California. Next year, the company plans on finishing a transatlantic cable between France and the U.S., per *Reuters*.

Equiano is expected to be the first subsea internet cable that will [incorporate optical switches](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/optical-fibers-space>) at the fiber-pair level, which just means that the signals flowing through the cable will be delivered more efficiently than those [through other cables](<https://futurism.com/in-2018-a-massive-undersea-fiber-optic-cable-will-connect-la-to-hong-kong>).

**READ MORE:** [Google announces new subsea cable 'Equiano', connecting Africa and Europe](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-cable/google-announces-new-subsea-cable-equiano-connecting-africa-and-europe-idUSKCN1TT1O0>) \[*Reuters*\]

**More on internet cables:** *[Microsoft and Facebook’s 4,000-Mile-Long Subsea Cable Has Been Completed](<https://futurism.com/microsoft-and-facebooks-4000-mile-long-subsea-cable-has-been-completed>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)