According to the report, the 40,000-km-long fibre-optic subsea cable with an estimated capacity of 320Tbps, will span from the east coast of the US to India via South Africa, and the west coast of the US from India via Australia, covering the globe in the shape of ‘W’.

Dec 2, 2024

Meta, the parent firm of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is reportedly planning to build a 40,000-km-long fibre-optic subsea cable with an estimated capacity of 320Tbps, which would encircle the world, incurring an investment of more than USD 10 billion.

As per media reports, the development would enable Meta to become the first company in the world to exclusively own and use a major subsea cable.

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Mr. Sunil Tagare, a subsea cable expert and founder of Flag Telecom, said that Meta was likely to make an official announcement in early 2025, giving insights into the intended route and capacity of the cable, as well as the reasons behind building it.

Mr. Tagare, who was the first person to report Meta’s plans back in October, said that the company initially planned to start the cable with a budget of USD 2 billion but as the scope of the project extended, the figure was likely to exceed USD 10 billion.

As per the report, the project was likely to span from the east coast of the US to India via South Africa, and the west coast of the US from India via Australia, covering the globe in the shape of ‘W’.

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As per Mr. Tagare, the ambitious project, which would take years to become fully operational, would avoid the routes along the Red Sea, the South China Sea, Egypt, Marseilles, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, as the routes had become ‘major single points of failure’.

When completed, the project would give Meta a dedicated pipe for data traffic around the world, he added.