 PacRimWest at the time was the longest continuous submarine cable laid to that date at 7,062km (4,414 miles) and one of the most trailblazing cables passing through the Mariana Trench near Guam at a depth of 8,900m (29,000 feet).The cable used only 53 repeaters with spacing at around 135km (84 miles).Part of the rationale behind the PacRim network was to bring much of the region's telecommunications traffic to Australia, forming a regional telecommunications and technology hub.