Google and Facebook's speedy undersea cable: Why they're teaming up

It's not everyday that you hear about Google and Facebook teaming up.

But that is exactly what they are doing. The two companies announced they have invested in a trans-Pacific submarine fiber optic cable that will be among the fastest ever built. So what are the details?

In IT Blogwatch, we have a need for speed. 

So what is going on? Chris Preimesberger has the background:

Google and Facebook...are working together to lay a nearly 8,000-mile cable between Los Angeles and Hong Kong that is scheduled to go into service in 2018...the new Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) will have...an estimated cable bandwidth of 120 terabits per second...double the speed of the current highest-capacity trans-Pacific route, a record currently held by another Google-backed cable system, FASTER.

Sounds fast, but what exactly does that mean? Stephanie Condon breaks it down for us:

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