Microsoft and Facebook announced plans for a new transatlantic submarine fiber-optic cable, with Telxius joining as the operator and construction partner. The project aimed to add capacity and improve resiliency by using a southern route compared with many older North Atlantic landings.
Construction and installation work began as the project moved from design into laying the cable across the Atlantic. The schedule targeted completion in 2017, notably faster than many traditional multi-year submarine cable builds.
The consortium named TE SubCom as the main supplier responsible for building the Marea system. Route surveying and manufacturing preparations were underway, marking the shift from announcement into full-scale construction execution.
The cable made landfall in Sopelana, near Bilbao, a major milestone because landings connect the undersea cable to onshore fiber networks. This step helped establish a new high-capacity route between Virginia Beach and southern Europe.
Marea was described as an “open” cable system, meaning it was designed to work with a range of networking equipment rather than locking users into a single vendor. This approach was intended to make upgrades easier as optical technology improved.
Microsoft announced the cable’s construction was complete, describing a new route between Virginia Beach and Bilbao. The completion signaled that the system could proceed to final testing and preparations for operational service.
Executives and public officials gathered in Virginia to mark the finished build and highlight regional economic and connectivity impacts. The project also drew attention to Virginia Beach as a developing cable-landing hub linked to major data center markets.
The consortium emphasized an initial design of eight fiber pairs and an initial capacity estimate around 160 terabits per second. This positioned Marea as a major step up in transatlantic bandwidth for cloud and internet services at the time.
After construction completion, the system was expected to enter operational service in early 2018 following commissioning work (final checks, integration, and readiness). This stage bridged the gap between a finished physical cable and carrying production traffic.
Telxius opened Marea for commercial service, making capacity available beyond the initial founding partners’ needs. This marked the practical transition from a commissioned asset to an operating part of the transatlantic internet backbone.
Equinix and Telxius detailed a cable landing station architecture designed to connect Marea (and other systems) into carrier hotels and data centers. The announcement highlighted how undersea cables depend on onshore interconnection facilities to deliver usable connectivity.
Within months of service launch, Telxius reported the system had scaled from its initial design level to 200 Tbps, pointing to the benefits of the system’s upgrade-friendly design. This outcome helped cement Marea’s legacy as a privately funded, hyperscaler-led cable that quickly expanded transatlantic capacity.
Marea transatlantic cable (2016–2018) — private consortium deployment and commissioning