DC BLOX opens new Myrtle Beach cable landing station

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — DC BLOX officials, state and local leaders, and tech industry officials celebrated the completion of a new cable landing station Tuesday afternoon that is expected to make Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand a hub for digital infrastructure.

DC BLOX’s new $31.5 million, 125,000-square-foot facility at the International Technology and Aerospace Park will host up to five subsea cables and colocation space for network and cable operators, communications providers, local enterprises, and partners, the company said in a news release announcing the opening.

DC BLOX, which announced plans for Wednesday’s grand opening in September, first revealed plans for the project in May 2022. The company then broke ground on the facility in October 2022, calling it a “major investment.” 

The company said in June that Phase 1 of the project had been completed and that Google and a Meta subsidiary had already started pulling their cables through the ocean.

“DC BLOX’s investments in digital infrastructure in South Carolina, including the new Myrtle Beach Cable Landing Station, are providing the essential foundation to fuel significant economic advancement across our state,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a news release ahead of the grand opening. 

DC Blox called the new landing station a “transformative moment for the region” and said it positions Myrtle Beach as a “vital connectivity hub globally, providing geographic diversity and resilience from existing subsea fiber routes.”

“As we embarked on this journey, we saw the opportunity to redefine what a cable landing station could be by creating a pivotal hub where companies could colocate and connect, and to fundamentally change the digital landscape of the Southeast,” DC BLOX CEO Jeff Uphues said in the news release. “The grand opening of our new facility opens up opportunities for global and regional communications providers, hyperscalers, and enterprises to more easily participate in the global economy and to leverage this infrastructure to create an AI-driven future. Together, we’re not just meeting today’s needs; we’re pioneering the infrastructure of tomorrow.”

Google has announced two subsea cables that will land at the DC BLOX Cable Landing Station including the Firmina cable connecting Myrtle Beach to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and the Nuvem cable to connect to Portugal and Bermuda. In addition, Edge Holdings, a subsidiary of Facebook parent Meta, plans to land its Anjana cable connecting to Spain.

“It is an exciting day in Horry County as DC BLOX showcases their new Horry County facility, a state-of-the-art cable landing station that will house the first subsea cables in South Carolina,” Sandy Davis, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, said in the news release.

Other local leaders said they are excited about what the project can bring to the Grand Strand.

“DC BLOX providing a cable landing station for the top names in technology is a huge win for their company and Horry County,” County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner said in the news release. “DC BLOX is committed to investing in Horry County and has proven to be a great partner for our community. The tech hub DC BLOX is creating is preparing our county for the future.”

Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune said the project fits in with the city’s Smart Cities strategy.

“Since the DC BLOX groundbreaking last year, the city of Myrtle Beach has invested significant time and resources in building a Smart Cities strategy,” Bethune said. “We recognize that this facility and DC BLOX are critical to our ability to diversify our tech-based economy.”

DC BLOX is also building a dark fiber route from the Myrtle Beach station that will connect with a communications hub in Atlanta.

The company said it will be the first direct east-to-west route enabling high-capacity direct access to hundreds of communications providers and to a rapidly growing population of regional data centers. The dark fiber route also enables diversity for core fiber routes connecting Northern Virginia to Atlanta.

“South Carolina is a growing innovation hub, bringing in new economic opportunities through digital infrastructure and other technology investments,” Lee Livingston, director of partnerships at Google, said in the news release. “We look forward to the continued partnership with our neighbors in Myrtle Beach, and are committed to making sure the Firmina and Nuvem subsea cables deliver lasting benefits to the state.” 

A Meta representative also touted the importance of the project.

“South Carolina is a crucial part of the U.S. and global economy, so Meta is proud to join DC BLOX in partnering with the state of South Carolina to bring this crucial connectivity project to Myrtle Beach, Boh DuPree, director of network investments – Americas, said in the news release. This cable landing station serves as an important investment that Meta believes will benefit millions of people, communities and businesses in South Carolina and beyond.”