Technology
Meta Unveils Plan for World’s Longest Undersea Cable
Project Waterworth will stretch 50,000km, exceeding Earth’s circumference.
Meta has announced plans to construct the world’s longest underwater cable, connecting the US, India, South Africa, Brazil, and other key regions.
Project Waterworth will be 50,000km in length, longer than the circumference of the Earth. It will be a new global connectivity record upon completion.
The submarine cable is designed to provide fast and reliable connectivity that is essential for Meta to support its fast growing AI and digital infrastructure.
Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has planned the cable with 24 fibre pairs, well above the typical 8 to 16 pairs found in most subsea cables.
Its design will provide higher capacity, which will meet the increasing demand for data transmission between connected areas.
“This project will enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions,” Meta says.
The company added: “For example, in India, where we’ve already seen significant growth and investment in digital infrastructure, Waterworth will help accelerate this progress and support the country’s ambitious plans for its digital economy.”
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With a history of collaborating on infrastructure, Meta has worked with partners to develop over 20 subsea cables in the past decade.
“We’ve driven infrastructure innovation with various partners over the past decade, developing more than 20 subsea cables. This includes multiple deployments of industry-leading subsea cables of 24 fibre pairs – compared to the typical 8 to 16 fibre pairs of other new systems.”
Project Waterworth is a multi-billion-dollar, multi-year effort, symbolising Meta’s vision to further the world’s digital connectivity.
The cable will be buried up to 7,000 metres depth, with high-tech burial technology in shallow coastal waters to protect it from harm.
Subsea fibre cables carry over 95% of the world’s internet traffic. It is on this foundation that Meta hopes Project Waterworth will deliver a more robust, higher-capacity solution.
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