- Meta is believed to be working on its own subsea cable plans worth $10bn+
- They would link the US with 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 subsea cables spanning more than 40,000km, and it could cost the company in excess of $10 billion.
Access to all of its services, including popular social networking sites Facebook and Instagram and messaging platform Whatsapp, accounts for 10% of all fixed traffic. This extends to 22% of all mobile traffic, making its servers some of the most widely accessed globally.
New TechCrunch reporting has revealed that the company is now looking to invest in its own fibre 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 in its infancy. Plans and budgets have not been confirmed, however subsea cable expert Sunil Tagare expects the company to spend in excess of $10 billion over the course of several years.
Meta is expected to share early information in 2025, including the cable’s intended route.
However, Meta’s plans could be delayed or the company could see costs rise if submarine cable industry analyst Ranulf Scarborough’s observations are true – that the ships responsible for laying cables are booked up years in advance due to hot demand.
Unconfirmed reports suggest the cable could extend from America’s east coast – Myrtle Beach and Virginia Beach – down to Cape Town and Durban in South Africa, then back up to Mumbai and Chennai in India.
From there, it could drop back south to Darwin, Australia, before returning to the US’ west coast – Grover Beach and Eureka. Because of its shape when drawn out on a map, it’s being dubbed the ‘W’ cable.
Besides being able to give its own services priority on its cables, Meta is also likely to sell its plans on the basis that it could support underserved regions financially, much like Google has done with recent subsea cable projects.
Others have suggested that connecting its cable to India’s mainland would allow Meta to expand its AI data center infrastructure in the country, where resources and time can be cheaper than in other regions.
TechRadar Pro asked Meta for a comment, but the company did not immediately respond.