Microsoft and a Taiwanese business, join telecommunications companies from Asian nations to build the 8,000 mile-long cable.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Microsoft and Chunghwa are joining telecommunications companies from Asian nations to build an 8,000 mile-long cable connecting Hillsboro to Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Microsoft said on its website that it would invest in “its first physical landing station in the U.S. connecting North America to Asia.” The project is called the New Cross Pacific Cable Network.
OregonLive.com reports:
David Crowley, a managing director for network enablement at Microsoft, wrote in the post that the project will “provide faster data connections for customers, aid Microsoft in competing on cloud costs, all while creating jobs and spurring local economies. The goal of our expansions and investments in subsea cables is so our customers have the greatest access to scale and highly available data, anywhere.”
Chunghwa said the service is expected to launch in 2017. In an emailed statement, Hillsboro city spokesman Patrick Preston said officials are “optimistic about the opportunities such an investment could create for our residents and employers. The decision to locate a cable landing station in Hillsboro enhances our community’s ability to connect to people and businesses around the world.”
Microsoft is exploring a similar project across the Atlantic Ocean. It would connect Halifax, Nova Scotia and the United Kingdom.
