Curie

Overview

The Curie submarine cable is an intercontinental cable spanning 10,476 kilometers. It connects three countries: Chile, Panama, and the United States.

Route and Landings

• Valparaíso, Chile
• Balboa, Panama
• El Segundo, CA, United States

Ownership and Operators

The Curie cable is owned by Google.

Status and Timeline

The Curie submarine cable became ready for service in 2020. Its status remains unknown.

Strategic Context

The Curie cable connects Chile, Panama, and the United States, providing a direct path between South America and North America. This route offers an alternative to typical landing points such as Miami or Jacksonville, which connect to Brazil's internet hub in São Paulo, one of the world's largest internet exchange points.

The corridor served by Curie generally supports intercontinental traffic, facilitating data transfer between South American and North American markets. Chile, a key player in Latin America’s telecommunications market, is home to major operators like Telefónica, which operates across multiple countries in the region. The Curie cable’s route enhances the connectivity options available to these markets, offering a direct link that can reduce latency and improve service reliability.

Similarly, Panama is a key market for submarine cables due to its position as a gateway to Central America and the Caribbean. By connecting directly to El Segundo in California, Curie offers an efficient path for data transfer between South American markets and North American tech hubs.

The United States, with its extensive network of internet exchange points and major data centers, benefits from direct connectivity to Latin America.