Plans officially announced by Meta to build a subsea cable spanning 50,000km have been called by the company “its most ambitious subsea cable endeavour yet”, as Project Waterworth, once done, will provide connectivity to the US, India, Brazil, South Africa, and other regions.
News of the plans were reported by TechCrunch back in November 2024, where sources suggested the investment could total $10 billion, or perhaps more, depending on how the project evolves.
Now that announcement is here. Subsea cables provide global digital infrastructure and reportedly account for more than 95% of intercontinental traffic across oceans to ensure digital communication, video, online transaction, and other tasks that depend on connectivity.
Project Waterworth marks Meta’s multi-billion, multi-year investment to strengthen the scale and reliability of these subsea cables by opening three new oceanic corridors, building what it calls the longest 24 fibre cable project in the world. The hope is that the project will enable greater economic cooperation, digital inclusion, and open new opportunities for technological development in these regions.
The cable will also be laid in deep water, at depths up to 7000 metres, and use burial techniques in high-risk fault areas such as shallow waters close to the coast, to avoid damage to the cables.
This is the latest in a series of subsea cables developed by Meta, who has done more than 20 to date. This includes deployments of subsea cables of 24 fibre pairs, compared with the 8 to 16 fibre pairs of other new systems.
Meta is not the only organisation looking to invest in building subsea cables. In 2024, Google announced plans to invest $1bn in improving connectivity between the US and Japan with two new cables.
Subsea cables have become somewhat contentious as concerns over protecting cables from attacks or accidents have risen. Recently, the European Commission and High Representative announced their intention to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure with the launch of the Joint Communication. It will oversee risk assessments on cables, enhancing threat-monitoring capabilities, improving response and recovery, and deterrence.
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