The U.S. Navy is planning to build an estimated $40 million underwater fiber-optic link that could run 800 miles from Guantanamo Bay to South Florida.

The ultimate goal is to bring the naval base's infrastructure up to par with other government agencies, Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, Guantanamo military commissions spokesman, said Thursday.

Expected to begin construction in 2013, SlashGear reported that the link would offer better telecom access for people living on the military base, who currently rely on a single satellite communications system. Breasseale likened it to using dial-up Internet in the 1990s, adding that technicians are constantly rerouting bandwidths, the Associated Press reported, depending on the needs of various organizations on the base, also known as Gitmo.

The link could be in operation within two years, depending on how quickly the government moves to approve the plan.

Navy Capt. Kirk Hibbert told The Miami Herald that it only makes sense to install the cable, if the government is planning to stay at the base for any period of time.

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