Microsoft and Facebook to build a high-speed underwater cable connecting the U.S. to Europe

Facebook and Microsoft on Thursday announced that they are teaming up to build a subsea cable across the Atlantic Ocean.

In a blog post, Microsoft says that the goal of the cable is to “help meet the growing customer demand for high speed, reliable connections for cloud and online services” for Microsoft, Facebook and others.

Construction on the new “MAREA” cable will start in August and is expected to be completed in October 2017. The cable system will be 6,600 km (4,100 miles) in length. Microsoft and Facebook say this is “the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic.”