Facebook/Microsoft Announce Partnership to Build Massive Data Cable from Spain to Virginia Beach.

[vdogg]

Looks like we landed another one. This one from Virginia Beach to Spain. This may become pretty big for our area.

http://engt.co/1WXmf9k

[vdogg]

Actually, I'm going to make this a separate thread.

[urbanvb]

I hope this does bring in new business to the city. I'm guessing this is much what Google fiber is offering to select cities. Most cities though that are getting Google fiber are already experiencing huge growth (I.e. Austin, Raleigh). Verizon Fios is already here, though only in selected areas, and I'm not certain if Fios is commercially offered. I see Cox is rolling out Gigablast also but not sure if or when it will be offered here.

Edited May 26, 2016 by urbanvb

[urbanvb]

You can merge my previous comments on the old thread  This is much larger in scope than I previously was aware of. Since Microsoft and Facebook are also leading the charge, who knows where this may go. I'm guessing someone in the city had a hand in this coming here and many kudos to them. Imagine the exposure from such high profile companies being involved. Man this is exciting. 

2 minutes ago, urbanvb said:

You can merge my previous comments on the old thread  This is much larger in scope than I previously was aware of. Since Microsoft and Facebook are also leading the charge, who knows where this may go. I'm guessing someone in the city had a hand in this coming here and many kudos to them. Imagine the exposure from such high profile companies being involved. Man this is exciting. I could seeany companies wanting to come here being close to where the cable enters Virginia Beach. 

 

Edited May 26, 2016 by urbanvb

[BFG]

I didn't realize how big of a deal this really is. That's awesome news for the region...having FB/Microsoft connections is a great recruitment tool for the young professionals.

[vdogg]

9 minutes ago, urbanvb said:

You can merge my previous comments on the old thread  This is much larger in scope than I previously was aware of. Since Microsoft and Facebook are also leading the charge, who knows where this may go. I'm guessing someone in the city had a hand in this coming here and many kudos to them. Imagine the exposure from such high profile companies being involved. Man this is exciting. 

 

Here's another article, with some more interesting news.

http://www.wired.com/2016/05/facebook-microsoft-laying-giant-cable-across-atlantic/

“To have a direct connection from Virginia lowers latency,” says Murphy—that is, the time it takes for data to flow from data centers to its ultimate destination. “And that probably provides better quality service.” Other companies are planning cables anchored in this same area, but MAREA will likely be the first. Construction is set to begin in August and completion is expected in October 2017.

This is a lot bigger than were initially led to believe.

[vdogg]

5 hours ago, BFG said:

Pilot article is up. Comments are mostly supportive, except for one idiot who damn near broke his back trying to contort this news into an issue about light rail.

http://pilotonline.com/business/microsoft-facebook-pick-virginia-beach-to-build-transoceanic-high-speed/article_7f8f4cfb-365b-5d9b-aec1-be69f104f4c9.html

[urbanlover568]

Followup! This might actually be faster than Google Fiber! 

[urbanvb]

Camp Pendleton may be where the cable enters Virginia Beach. 

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/microsoft-and-facebook-eye-virginia-beach-s-camp-pendleton-to/article_c90d8ae8-df0a-5f99-a4d9-d14d60c15aaa.html

[ronsmytheiii]

TE SubCom has completed the route survey and begun manufacture of the system at its facility in Newington, New Hampshire. The parties are on track to begin laying cable using TE SubCom's state-of-the-art cable installation ships next year, with a scheduled completion date of October 2017.

 

http://www.fiberopticsonline.com/doc/te-subcom-supplies-marea-submarine-cable-system-0001

[baobabs727]

The cable has arrived in Spain! Moving forward! 

https://telxius.com/en/today-marea-the-highest-capacity-subsea-cable-to-ever-cross-the-atlantic-been-anchored-in-sopelana/

 

 

[baobabs727]

Detailed story, one with a few sobering facts. NxtVn has yet to secure their land. Only mentions Facebook/Microsoft and Telefonica. The rest are perhaps not yet firmly committed.

As the current agreement stands, we are unlikely to receive any direct broadband improvement benefits locally. Worst case, all we get are some tax revenues and good press. The rest is conjecture, speculation and in need of a plan/strategy. "Hope is not a strategy." The article makes it sound like there's an excess of the former, and none of the latter.  Quotes a VB rep, and an expert or two.  

Hoping this local gang can shoot straight, though they may not really have any leverage if they haven't negotiated some additional perks for us in exchange for the landing rights.  And they haven't.  For if they had, we'd be reading about it.  

Oh, and Ashburn/NOVA is going to make out like gangbusters! Isn't that just awesome!?! 

Perhaps they'll send us a "thank you" card.

https://pilotonline.com/business/consumer/why-hampton-roads-residents-could-be-seeing-cheaper-faster-internet/article_bd0eceec-e54a-5179-b380-852d26e22895.html

[ronsmytheiii]

Progress for last month on the Telefonica site:

 

https://www.planet.com/explorer/

[baobabs727]

It lands!

https://pilotonline.com/business/consumer/what-do-microsoft-facebook-and-virginia-beach-have-in-common/article_f6c814f0-2af2-55be-a1ce-21ef7e803dd6.html

[vdogg]

Finished 3 times faster than normal. Pretty big deal for our area.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/25/16359966/microsoft-facebook-transatlantic-cable-160-terabits-a-second

[vdogg]

So we get the fiber but Richmond gets the data center... Hmm, what happened here? We have plenty of land for this.

http://via.wtkr.com/xnDhz

[baobabs727]

I have a pit in my stomach. 

Look at the article I posted (above) earlier this year. That got me worrying a little bit. Now I'm rather disturbed and confused. 

I just sent an email to the mayor, the city manager, and Ben Davenport, the point man for technology in Virginia Beach.   

Again, what concessions or guarantees, if any, did the VB reps. procure from these tech corporations when negotiating the landing rights here?  Was the media reportage or city PR misleading early on with regard to the potential for future, attendant economic development here? Did the City know all along that we weren't going to get squat?

Edited October 5, 2017 by baobabs727

[baobabs727]

 From a Richmond.com story:

"Henrico County has taken steps this year to attract other data centers by dramatically reducing its tax rate on computers and equipment related to data centers, which store and process vast amounts of digital information.

In April, the Board of Supervisors cut the tax rate by 87 percent - from $3.50 per $100 of assessed value to just 40 cents per $100. The new rate went into effect July 1."

http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/facebook-to-build-billion-data-center-in-eastern-henrico-county/article_cd4a106d-162c-53bb-92b4-af12cd9139ac.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by baobabs727

[baobabs727]

Dave Hansen, the city manager of Virginia Beach, has already responded to my email. He has an incredible work ethic, as I have received emails from him at all times of the day and night in the past.

Basically, Mr. Hansen suspects that Facebook has had this location in the works for quite some time. The facility that FB will be using in Richmond is already in place. It was shut down during the recession. He says we could definitely consider reducing various taxes (as they have done in Richmond) to attract data centers to VB in the future.  

He indicates that land prices here are relatively high compared with land in the various  rural communities which are likely to be our competitors for such centers. He expects the competition for data centers to be as tough as was the competition for the landing rights. 

He also tells me that while these centers are not huge job creators, we would certainly welcome them here.

Finally, he says that the VA general assembly, by code, has stripped localities of all of their rights re: controlling the right of way for these cables, and that the owners of these cables can therefore send these cables out of the landing region...wherever they please...without incurring any charges or penalties.

Edited October 5, 2017 by baobabs727

[wrldcoupe4]

The  Facebook facility in Richmond will be built near the existing QTS data center (which was converted from a semiconductor plant during the recession), but the Facebook facility is new construction. 

[baobabs727]

4 hours ago, wrldcoupe4 said:

The  Facebook facility in Richmond will be built near the existing QTS data center (which was converted from a semiconductor plant during the recession), but the Facebook facility is new construction. 

Well, I can only report what the man who runs the largest city in Virginia is telling me, directly.  

Additionally, I have spoken with a reporter with the Virginian Pilot who, along with Mr. Hansen,  is telling me that Richmond practically gave the property away (land prices are lower there already anyway) & slashed all business-related taxes, etc., to next to zero.  They both also reiterate that the job creation  would be limited to around 100.   Not that we wouldn't like those jobs, but  it's not a significant economic development...development, if you will.

Edited October 13, 2017 by baobabs727

[wrldcoupe4]

Not debating the merits of the deal. Just clarifying that it's a new building and not the reuse of an existing Bldg. 

https://richmondbizsense.com/2017/10/05/facebook-plans-1b-data-center-henrico/

 

[baobabs727]

GOOGLE to connect coastal France with VA BEACH via a new 4000 mile long high speed fiber cable called "Dunant."

https://southsidedaily.com/business/2018/07/27/google-to-connect-virginia-beach-to-france-with-undersea-data-cable/

 

 

[baobabs727]

The article is about the various transatlantic subsea cables landing in VB and the attendant economic dev/investment, plus future connectivity to the HR Fiber Ring. But please do note the section about Richmond and NOVA (all of which we already knew, of course). So, um, when are we going to get a mega data center? Heck, when are we going to get the one or two centers that were announced but which didn't get built here?  Who's getting the better bargain here, VB, RVA, NOVA? I think we know the answer, sadly.

https://latestfinance.news/undersea-cables-and-digital-highways-hampton-roads-involvement-was-no-coincidence-141006/

[HRVA]

51 minutes ago, baobabs727 said:

The article is about the various transatlantic subsea cables landing in VB and the attendant economic dev/investment, plus future connectivity to the HR Fiber Ring. But please do note the section about Richmond and NOVA (all of which we already knew, of course). So, um, when are we going to get a mega data center? Heck, when are we going to get the one or two centers that were announced but which didn't get built here?  Who's getting the better bargain here, VB, RVA, NOVA? I think we know the answer, sadly.

https://latestfinance.news/undersea-cables-and-digital-highways-hampton-roads-involvement-was-no-coincidence-141006/

Not a mega data center but one of the Corporate Landing projects did come up at the Development Authority meeting last month & I believe they got an update another one within the past few months as well. 
https://www.yesvirginiabeach.com/_assets/Documents/AboutUs/VBDA/2022/vbda-powerpoints-10-22.pdf

My understanding about the mega data centers, and you may know this but they want to be as close to each other as feasible to reduce latency. Apparently the little extra time is extremely valuable. I don’t expect anything significant in my lifetime. The region was dangled a carrot but only got crumbs. Typical.