Meta Plans to Build $10 Billion Subsea Cable Spanning the World: Report
By : DC Web Desk
Update: 2024-12-03 09:21 GMT
Social media giant Meta is reportedly planning to build a major fibre-optic subsea cable that will span the world.
According to a report by TechCrunch, Meta is planning to lay fibre-optic cable that will have a length of more than 40,000 km and the investment will be over $10 billion.
The route of the undersea cable would span from the east coast of the United States to the east coast of the US via South Africa, India and Australia, making a “W” shape around the globe, reported TechCrunch citing sources.
The route envisioned by Meta will avoid areas of geopolitical tension such as the Red Sea, the South China Sea, Egypt, Marseilles, the Strait of Malacca, and Singapore, added the report.
The project is in early stages and the plans have been laid out. Meta is expected to talk about the project in early 2025, reported TechCrunch.
Subsea cable expert Sunil Tagare told TechCrunch that the plan is to start with a budget of $2 billion but the figure is likely to go up to more than $10 billion.
Submarine cable industry analyst Ranulf Scarbrough said that submarine cables are “expensive at the minute and booked out several years ahead.”
Meta is not investing in subsea cable for the first time. The company is already part owner of 16 existing networks including 2Africa cable. But this project will be wholly owned by Meta itself.