Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced its plan to build the world’s longest undersea internet cable, stretching over 50,000 kilometers – longer than Earth’s circumference. The ambitious multibillion-dollar project, dubbed Project Waterworth, aims to connect five continents, including key regions such as the United States, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
The cable will feature 24 fiber pairs, significantly more than typical undersea cables, and is designed to enhance global internet connectivity while supporting the growing demands of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Meta plans to bury the cable deeper in high-risk areas to protect it from damage caused by ship anchors and other hazards.
According to a 2024 report from the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership, approximately 95% of global internet traffic travels through subsea cables, making them crucial to worldwide connectivity. The new infrastructure is expected to reduce data costs and improve access for marginalized communities, including people in rural areas.
Meta, which already reaches over 3 billion daily users across its apps, has developed more than 20 subsea cables with partners over the last decade. Notable projects include 2Africa Pearls, connecting Africa, Europe, and Asia, and Marea, linking the United States with Spain.
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The announcement comes as other tech giants also invest in global connectivity infrastructure. Google is developing Project Umoja, which will connect Africa and Australia directly through both undersea and land-based cables.
While Meta hasn’t specified an exact completion date for Project Waterworth, the company expects the cable to be operational by the end of the decade. The project has already gained political support, with the White House highlighting it in a recent joint statement with India’s Prime Minister about strengthening global digital infrastructure.
