The world’s most advanced subsea internet cable has been successfully laid down through the Atlantic Ocean.

The high-capacity cable is a joint project by Microsoft, Facebook and a telecommunication infrastructure firm Telxius, which connects United States with Europe; from Virginia Beach to Spain. Known as Marea subsea internet cable, the project was initiated a year ago and is expected to be operational by 2018.

According to International Business Times, the connectivity cable weighs around 10.25 million pounds and is stretched over 4,000 miles under the Atlantic Ocean. Being the most developed cable, it can transfer data at an enormous rate of 160 terabits per second. The cable is fast enough to stream more than 71m HD movies simultaneously.

Experts think that Marea subsea internet cable is arranged primarily for adding flexibility to the internet connection incase of any natural disasters at the sea, reported Tech Juice.

“Marea comes at a critical time. Submarine cables in the Atlantic already carry 55 percent more data than trans-Pacific routes and 40 percent more data than between the U.S. and Latin America,” said the president at Microsoft Brad Smith. He added, “There is no question that the demand for data flows across the Atlantic will continue to increase and Marea will provide a critical connection for the United States, Spain and beyond.”