"Meta Plans $10B Undersea Internet Cable"

 

"Meta Plans $10B Undersea Internet Cable"

Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is planning to build over 40,000 kilometers of undersea fiber optic cables. This project, expected to cost over $10 billion, will create a private global internet network. The cables would stretch from the U.S. East Coast to India, passing through South Africa, and then continue from India to Australia, and back to the U.S. West Coast.

Meta is motivated by several reasons for this massive investment. It aims to control its own internet traffic, reducing reliance on telecom companies. This also helps protect Meta from issues related to political conflicts that have damaged cables in the past. For example, a cable was recently cut in European waters, with suspicion falling on China.

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However, building this network won't be easy. Meta must overcome challenges like securing cable ships, which are in high demand and expensive. If successful, this would be the first fully private global fiber optic cable project, unlike the cables owned by companies like Google or Microsoft, which only own parts of global networks.

The project is still in early stages and will require years of planning and approval. Meta's goal is to avoid geopolitical areas of tension, as these can threaten vital infrastructure, like submarine cables. The U.S. government is also reviewing submarine cable security to address potential risks, especially from foreign interference.