Meta is preparing to undertake its most ambitious infrastructure project to date – a privately owned subsea fiber-optic cable that will span over 25,000 miles around the globe, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to TechCrunch. The project, which could cost upwards of $10 billion, would mark the first time Meta has fully owned a subsea cable system, representing a significant shift in the company's infrastructure strategy, TechCrunch has learned.
While the project remains in early planning stages, sources close to Meta told TechCrunch that the company intends to officially announce details of the cable's route, capacity, and strategic importance in early 2025. The planned route would create a "W" shape around the globe, connecting the US east coast to India via South Africa, then linking to the US west coast through Australia.
"There's a real tight supply on cable ships," Ranulf Scarborough, a submarine cable industry analyst, told TechCrunch. "They're expensive at the minute and booked out several years ahead. Finding the available resources to do it soon is a challenge." Scarborough noted that a segmented construction approach might be necessary. The initiative emerges as Meta's platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – drive approximately 10% of global fixed internet traffic and 22% of mobile traffic. The company's infrastructure work falls under the oversight of Santosh Janardhan, Meta's head of global infrastructure and co-head of engineering, with the project being developed primarily through its South Africa operation, according to sources who spoke to TechCrunch.
Sunil Tagare, founder of Flag Telecom and a pioneer in subsea cable development, first reported Meta's plans in October. He told TechCrunch that while the initial budget is set at $2 billion, the total investment could exceed $10 billion as the project extends over multiple years. The cable's planned route deliberately avoids politically sensitive areas, including the Red Sea, South China Sea, Egypt, Marseilles, the Straits of Malacca, and Singapore – regions that sources close to Meta described to TechCrunch as "major single points of failure."
According to Telegeography data, Meta currently holds partial ownership in 16 subsea networks, including the recent 2Africa cable circling the African continent. This new venture would put Meta in league with Google, which maintains involvement in 33 different routes and solely owns several regional cables. The timing of the project coincides with increased global focus on subsea cable security. Recent incidents have highlighted the vulnerability of these critical infrastructure assets, with cables being damaged in the Red Sea amid ongoing conflicts and suspicious cable breaks occurring in European waters.
Tagare suggested to TechCrunch that Meta's choice of India as a key terminal point could be strategically significant, pointing to the country's lower compute costs and recent discussions about AI infrastructure development following Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's meeting with Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani.
India represents Meta's largest user base, with Facebook counting over 375 million users, Instagram 363 million, and WhatsApp 536 million. Sources close to the project told TechCrunch that while AI capabilities remain a "long tail" consideration, along with potential third-party access to the cable's capacity, these details are still under discussion.
Meta declined to comment for the TechCrunch article.
