(Reuters) - Google Inc is considering an investment in a new cable across the Pacific Ocean, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter.

The move comes as technology companies send an increasing amount of traffic across private networks, the report said. (on.wsj.com/1isOMAv)

Google took a stake in a similar $300 million cable in 2010, according to the report. The Internet search company would use the new subsea cable to connect data centers in Oregon and Japan, the report said.

Private networks are commonly used for home, office and businesses, as they provide security for vital information and cannot be accessed by devices outside the network.

A public network is a type of network where anyone can access and or connect to other networks or the Internet through it.

A lot of Google's bandwidth is reserved for its private 'B4' network, which transmits emails, YouTube videos among other data, the report said. The network carries more traffic than the public-facing one the company uses to transmit search results to the Internet, the WSJ reported.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bangalore; Editing by Bernard Orr)