Halaihai: a trans-Pacific submarine cable connecting South America and Oceania
The Halaihai submarine cable is a 17,483-kilometer system owned by Google, connecting South America with Oceania via multiple landing points in French Polynesia, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. According to the GeoCables database, the cable is listed as in service, with a recorded ready-for-service (RFS) year of 2027. However, as of now, there is no publicly disclosed information about its design capacity, number of fiber pairs, supplier, or specific technological features.
What makes Halaihai particularly interesting is its extensive route, spanning the Pacific Ocean and linking geographically diverse regions. The cable's landing points include
Faratea and
Papenoo in French Polynesia,
Tanguisson Point in Guam,
Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands, and
Valparaíso in Chile. These locations are strategically significant for intercontinental connectivity, yet the absence of detailed public information about its technical specifications leaves some aspects of its operation open to speculation.
Quick facts
| Length | 17,483 km |
| Ready-for-Service Year | 2027 (GeoCables database; conflicting industry sources not surfaced) |
| Owner | Google |
| Status | In service |
| Design Capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber Pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing Points | Faratea (French Polynesia), Papenoo (French Polynesia), Tanguisson Point (Guam), Tinian (Northern Mariana Islands), Valparaíso (Chile) |
Route
Halaihai connects South America to Oceania and East Asia through five landing points: Valparaíso in Chile, Faratea and Papenoo in French Polynesia, Tanguisson Point in Guam, and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands. Valparaíso serves as the South American gateway, while Faratea and Papenoo provide connectivity to French Polynesia. Tanguisson Point and Tinian offer links to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, respectively, which are key nodes in the Pacific telecom infrastructure.
The cable's route spans a vast geographic corridor, crossing the Pacific Ocean and connecting regions with diverse economic and connectivity needs. Each landing point is a hub for other submarine cables, enhancing redundancy and regional interconnectivity. For example, Valparaíso connects to several major cables, including
Curie and
South America-1 (SAm-1), while Tanguisson Point links to systems like the
Asia-America Gateway (AAG) Cable System and
Australia-Japan Cable (AJC).
Why it was built and what it carries
Halaihai was most likely built to address growing demand for high-capacity, low-latency connectivity between South America and Oceania, regions experiencing rapid digital growth. Google's ownership suggests the cable may primarily support the company's global data infrastructure, including services like Google Cloud, YouTube, and other bandwidth-intensive applications.
The cable also serves as a critical link for local and regional telecom operators, providing additional capacity and redundancy. Its landing points in French Polynesia and Guam indicate a focus on improving connectivity for island nations and territories that often face challenges in accessing reliable international bandwidth.
History: what can be established
The GeoCables database records Halaihai's ready-for-service year as 2027, and it is listed as currently in service. However, no conflicting industry sources have been identified to suggest an alternative RFS date. Given Google's involvement, it is plausible that the cable was developed as part of the company's ongoing efforts to expand its global network infrastructure.
Publicly available information about the cable's construction timeline, supplier, and deployment process is scarce. Without official documentation from Google or other stakeholders, further details about its history remain speculative.
Capacity and technology
The design capacity, number of fiber pairs, supplier, and specific technology used in Halaihai are not publicly disclosed. While modern submarine cables typically employ advanced wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technology to achieve high data throughput, attributing specific technical features to Halaihai without operator documentation would be speculative.
Given its ownership by Google, it is reasonable to assume that the cable employs state-of-the-art technology to support high-capacity data transmission. However, the absence of disclosed specifications limits the ability to provide a detailed analysis of its capabilities.
Latency: the physics
The computed one-way light propagation time for Halaihai's 17,483-kilometer length is approximately 85.7 milliseconds, resulting in a theoretical round-trip time (RTT) floor of 171.4 milliseconds for the wet segment. Real-world latency measurements, however, are typically higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing inefficiencies.
GeoCables' live measurements, which reflect the full internet path rather than the cable's isolated performance, show RTTs between Tinian and Valparaíso ranging from 274.5 ms to 365.5 ms. These values are significantly higher than the theoretical floor, as expected. Notably, a measurement from Sao Paulo to Valparaíso reported a minimum RTT of 53.2 ms, which is below the physical floor and clearly a measurement artifact caused by rate-limited ICMP replies from intermediate routers. Such artifacts should not be interpreted as accurate representations of the cable's latency.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
Halaihai's landing points are hubs for multiple other submarine cables, providing redundancy in case of outages. For example, Valparaíso connects to the Curie and
Prat cables, among others, while Tanguisson Point links to systems like the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) Cable System and Australia-Japan Cable (AJC). In French Polynesia, Faratea and Papenoo are connected to the
Bulikula and
Honomoana cables, as well as the
Honotua system.
In the event of a fault, repair operations would follow standard industry practices, including cable localization, ship deployment, and underwater repair. The availability of alternative routes ensures that traffic can be rerouted, minimizing disruption to services.
Bottom line
- Halaihai is a 17,483-kilometer submarine cable connecting South America and Oceania.
- Owned by Google, it is listed as in service with an RFS year of 2027.
- Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
- Landing points include Valparaíso, Faratea, Papenoo, Tanguisson Point, and Tinian.
- Theoretical RTT floor is 171.4 ms; real-world latency is higher due to land tails and routing.
- Redundancy is provided by multiple other cables at each landing point.