In November, we reported that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, boasting billions of users and responsible for 10% of fixed and 22% of mobile traffic, was on the verge of unveiling an ambitious subsea cable initiative exceeding $10 billion. This endeavor aims to enhance Meta’s autonomy in managing its services more effectively.
Today, Meta officially confirmed our earlier insights with the announcement of Project Waterworth, which will span an impressive 50,000 kilometers upon completion, earning it the title of the longest subsea cable initiative in the world.
Aligning with our previous coverage, this network will link five continents, with connection points in the United States, Brazil, India, South Africa, and several other key locations. Meta highlights the strategic significance of India and the anticipated innovations in AI services as critical motivations for developing the network.
Regarding the technical aspects, Meta plans to innovate with its design, employing 24 fiber pair cables and what it refers to as groundbreaking routing strategies. This includes “maximizing the cable laid in deep water — at depths reaching up to 7,000 meters,” while also introducing new burial methods to mitigate faults in regions classified as “high risk,” whether due to geographical challenges, political factors, or a combination of both.
Previously, we mentioned that geopolitical considerations have significantly influenced Meta’s decision to establish its own subsea infrastructure. This has indeed been a contributing factor.
On Thursday, the White House issued a joint leaders statement featuring U.S. President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, outlining various areas of collaboration between the two nations. Notably, this document included a commitment to jointly advance undersea technologies as part of a defense alliance, as well as mentioning Meta’s 50,000-kilometer Waterworth initiative and India’s role in financing a portion of it.
“With the aim of enhancing connectivity in the Indian Ocean, the leaders expressed their support for Meta’s announcement of a significant, multi-year investment in an undersea cable project slated to commence this year,” the statement emphasized. “India is committed to investing in the maintenance, repair, and financial aspects of undersea cables in the Indian Ocean through trusted vendors.”
As for the cable’s applications: In November, sources suggested that Meta’s motivation was driven by the burgeoning demand for AI data centers and cloud services in India, the world’s most populous nation.
While Meta has refrained from sharing specific details, their blog highlighted several general applications emphasizing the importance of the country and AI.
According to a blog post by Meta’s VP of Engineering Gaya Nagarajan and the global head of network investments Alex-Handrah Aimé, the subsea cable will facilitate “digital communication, video experiences, and online transactions.” They stated, “Project Waterworth represents a multi-billion dollar, multi-year investment aimed at enhancing the scale and reliability of the world’s digital highways by creating three new oceanic corridors with high-speed connectivity essential for driving AI innovation globally.”
This isn’t the first venture into subsea cables for Meta, nor is it the only significant tech firm pursuing its own underwater infrastructure.
According to telecom analysts at TeleGeography, Meta co-owns 16 existing networks, including the 2Africa cable, which encircles the African continent—collaborating with various carriers like Orange, Vodafone, and China Mobile, among others. This new cable project will mark the first that is entirely owned by Meta.
This move positions Meta alongside Google, which is involved in approximately 33 different routes, some of which it wholly owns, as per TeleGeography’s records. Other major tech players engaging in subsea cables include Amazon and Microsoft, though neither has complete ownership of any route.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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