(Telecompaper) Microsoft and Facebook will together build a new, state-of-the-art subsea cable across the Atlantic. The 6,600 km "Marea" submarine cable system will be operated and managed by Telxius, Telefonica's new telecommunications infrastructure company, which will also sell capacity as part of its wholesale infrastructure business. Marea will be the highest-capacity subsea cable to ever cross the Atlantic, with eight fibre pairs and an initial estimated design capacity of 160Tbps, the companies said. It will also be the first to connect the US to southern Europe, from the data hub of Northern Virginia to Bilbao, Spain and then to network hubs in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.