- Meta is believed to be working on its own undersea cable plans worth more than $10 billion
- They would connect the US to South Africa, India and Australia
- The company’s services account for 10% of fixed and 22% of mobile traffic
Meta is reportedly planning to build its own global network of undersea cables stretching more than 40,000 km, a plan that could cost the company more than $10 billion.
Access to all its services, including the popular social networking sites Facebook and Instagram and the messaging platform WhatsApp, accounts for 10% of all fixed traffic. This extends to 22% of all mobile traffic, making its servers among the most accessible worldwide.
New TechCrunch Reports have revealed that Meta is now looking to invest in its own fiber optic cable, which would belong solely and entirely to Zuckerberg’s empire.
Unnamed sources familiar with the matter have confirmed Meta’s plans, adding that the project is still in its early stages. Plans and budgets have not yet been confirmed, but submarine cable expert Sunil Tagare expects the company to spend more than $10 billion over several years.
Meta is expected to share early information in 2025, including the cable’s intended route.
However, Meta’s plans could be postponed or the company could see costs rise if submarine cable industry analyst Ranulf Scarborough’s observations are true: the ships responsible for laying cables are booked up years in advance due to high demand .
Unconfirmed reports suggest the cable could extend from America’s east coast – Myrtle Beach and Virginia Beach – to Cape Town and Durban in South Africa, and then back to Mumbai and Chennai in India.
From there it could descend south again to Darwin, Australia, before returning to the west coast of the US – Grover Beach and Eureka. Because of its shape when drawn on a map, it is called the ‘W’ cable.
In addition to being able to prioritize its own services over its cables, Meta is also likely to sell its plans on the basis that it could financially support underserved regions, just as Google has done with recent undersea cable projects.
Others have suggested that connecting the cable to mainland India would allow Meta to expand its AI data center infrastructure in the country, where resources and time could be cheaper than in other regions.
Ny Breaking asked Meta for comment, but the company did not immediately respond.