Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is reportedly planning to build a $10 billion underwater fiber-optic cable that will go around the world. The cable would help the company handle high user traffic and keep a high quality of service internationally.
The addition brings Meta in line with Alphabet, the parent company of Google. The company has a network of cables, some of which they own fully.
The technology news site TechCrunch reported that the new cable would be exclusively for Meta’s use. They planned the route for the cable to avoid areas they think face political and military tensions.
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The reported route for the cable will take it from the East Coast of the U.S., across the Atlantic, around South Africa, up to India, above the northern part of Australia and across the Pacific to the West Coast.
Undersea cables play a key role in global fiber-optic internet. However, their locations can put them at risk. Cables in the Red Sea suffered damage from strikes by Yemen’s Houthi rebels earlier this year.
Now, authorities in Denmark are looking into cable damage caused in the Baltic Sea. Danish officials said a Chinese ship caused the damage earlier this month.
The officials accused the crew of the ship, which left from a Russian port, of intentionally dragging its anchor to cut underwater cables.
The TechCrunch report said Meta will likely share more details about its global project sometime in 2025. Officials said the project could take years to complete.
