Humboldt Connect Is Born: Desarrollo País and Google to Commercialize South Pacific Cable Capacity via Joint Venture

Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release
June 4, 2025

(This is a machine translated version of the press release, view the original language posting here.)

The Government of Chile, through Desarrollo País — a state-owned company that promotes infrastructure projects — has signed a partnership agreement with Google establishing a jointly owned company: Humboldt Connect. This company will activate and commercialize the fiber optic capacity of the submarine cable that will directly link South America and Oceania, the first of its kind in the region. The new company will be responsible for managing one to two pairs of dark submarine fiber optics, activating the acquired capacity through specialized operators, and commercializing it either directly or indirectly at a global level.

The signing ceremony was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren, along with Minister of Transport and Telecommunications Juan Carlos Muñoz. Also in attendance were Subsecretary of Telecommunications Claudio Araya, Chairwoman of the Board of Desarrollo País S.A. Luz Granier, Google’s General Manager for the Andean Region Edgardo Frías, Google’s Director of Telecommunications Infrastructure for Latin America Cristian Ramos, and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Chile Richard Yoneoka, among other diplomatic and telecommunications industry representatives.

“This project, which will connect the Valparaíso Region with Australia via more than 14,000 kilometers of cable, is a concrete example of how we envision Chile’s role in the 21st century: as an open, trustworthy country fully committed to active international engagement, aiming to serve as a bridge between South America, Asia-Pacific, and Oceania,” said Minister van Klaveren.

“This infrastructure has the potential to benefit neighboring countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, and others, by facilitating access to more diversified, secure, and efficient digital routes,” he added. “We reaffirm our commitment to being a point of regional convergence and coordination, promoting inclusive, sustainable digital integration oriented toward shared development.”

Notably, the Humboldt Connect joint venture involves equal investments from Desarrollo País and Google (50%-50%), marking a key milestone in Chile’s strategic goal of positioning itself as the digital hub of the Southern Hemisphere. The company aims to ensure the success of commercial operations, from managing sales agents to maintaining relationships with international clients in the telecommunications, content, and academic network sectors.

Minister Muñoz also emphasized, “Chile is a technological leader in the region. As a government, we work daily to strengthen that position and create the conditions for new investments of this nature. Humboldt Connect reflects this vision and commitment—it is much more than a tech project; it is a tangible demonstration of how Chile can lead the development of digital infrastructure from the global south, through a groundbreaking partnership between Google and Desarrollo País.”

The Humboldt project has gone through several strategic and technical phases. Between 2019 and 2020, the Subsecretariat of Telecommunications led feasibility studies covering economic, technical, and geopolitical aspects, confirming the viability of a direct connection between Chile and Australia. In 2021, Desarrollo País assumed leadership of the project, launching an international RFP in 2022 to validate updated system costs. In 2023, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Google, laying the groundwork for the joint venture.

In 2024, a specialized vessel completed seabed surveys to determine the final route and operational viability of the cable — a key milestone in the project. The deployment of the cable is scheduled for 2025–2026, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2027.

The post Chile, Google Launch Humboldt Connect JV appeared first on SubTel Forum.