Google and Facebook have announced their collaboration with the Pacific Light Data Communications Company and TE SubCom to install the first ever submarine connection from the U.S. to Asia.

The network will have a total length of 8,000 miles, and the project is expected to be completed by 2018. The cables will be able to transmit data at a speed of 120 terabits per second.

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According to TE SubCom, the system uses its C+L technology, which enhances the capacity per fiber pair and available bandwidth of the network vis-à-vis regular C-band-only designed system. Pacific Light Data Communication, a Chinese company, expressed its "gratitude" to Google and Facebook for partnering on the project. The financial terms for the project have not been disclosed.

Pacific Light Data is a relative newcomer to the networking marketing. The company's chairman Wei Junkang acquired the rights to the projects for $11.3 million from China Soft Power Technology Holdings Ltd.

Submarine cables brought a paradigm shift in networking industry as the system bypasses traditional telephone companies to transmit the data. Major technology companies including Microsoft are interested in the under-sea cable system as it allows them to ensure efficient and fast data transfer between different centers around the world.

Google plans to use the cable network to boosting its Google Cloud services. This is the sixth under-water cable system for Google. Google said that the new network would allow the company to "independently choose network equipment."  

According to Brain Quigley, director of Networking Infrastructure with Google, the data capacity of the network will surpass the capacity of the current record-holding trans-pacific network FASTER, which is also backed by Google.