Meta says it plans to build the world's longest undersea internet cable

Facebook’s genitor institution Meta Platforms said it’s moving connected the world’s longest undersea cablegram arsenic portion of the societal media giant’s efforts to link much radical to high-speed internet.

Called Project Waterworth, the monolithic cablegram spanning much than 31,000 miles volition bring “industry-leading connectivity” to the United States, India, Brazil, South Africa and different regions, Meta said.

“This task volition alteration greater economical cooperation, facilitate integer inclusion, and unfastened opportunities for technological improvement successful these regions,” Meta said successful a blog post Friday.

Meta expects that the multibillion-dollar task volition beryllium completed toward the extremity of the decade, but didn’t supply a circumstantial twelvemonth oregon estimates of its cost.

Tech leaders including Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft person been investing heavy successful undersea cables for years arsenic a mode to supply much affordable and reliable net crossed the globe. As much radical link to the net to chat and watercourse videos, these investments besides alteration tech companies to pull much users to their services.

An estimated 95% of planetary net postulation travels done subsea cables, making them the backbone of the internet, according to a 2024 study from the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership.

Like different large tech firms, the societal web has been ramping up efforts to physique much artificial intelligence-powered tools that tin make text, images and different content. Meta said successful its blog station that its 24 fibre brace cablegram task “can assistance guarantee that the benefits of AI and different emerging technologies are disposable to everyone, careless of wherever they unrecorded oregon work.”

The institution said it has developed much than 20 subsea cables with partners implicit the past decade. Some of Meta’s undersea cables person included 2Africa Pearls, connecting Africa, Europe and Asia, and another, Marea, connecting the United States with Spain.

More than 3 cardinal radical usage 1 of Meta’s apps daily, specified arsenic Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.

The enlargement of undersea cables to supply net and telecommunications besides has heightened concerns that the infrastructure volition beryllium targeted during geopolitical conflicts.

Last year, underwater cables successful the Red Sea, lying betwixt Africa and Asia, were chopped and disrupted net service. It was unclear however the cables were damaged and Yemen’s Houthi rebels denied attacking the lines to unit Israel to extremity its warfare connected Hamas successful Gaza, the Associated Press reported.

Meta’s latest investments besides travel arsenic Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg tries to mend strained ties with President Trump, whom he’s antecedently sparred with implicit migration issues and contented moderation. This year, Meta ended its third-party fact-checking program, relying alternatively connected users to constitute notes nether misleading posts, and rolled backmost DEI efforts that Trump has criticized.

Zuckerberg besides praised Trump successful Meta’s quarterly net telephone successful January, noting that his medication “prioritizes American exertion winning,” and has visited the president astatine the White House.

Last week, the White House mentioned Meta’s undersea cablegram task successful a joint statement from President Trump and India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi astir however the 2 countries are moving together.

The connection said that Meta’s task would “strengthen planetary integer highways” successful the Indian Ocean and that India plans to put successful the maintenance, repair and financing of these undersea cables.