Meta to Build a 50,000 km Subsea Cable to Connect the US, India, Brazil, and South Africa

Meta, the social media giant, announced on Friday that it will build a 50,000-kilometer subsea cable network connecting the United States, India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions.

"Meta is investing in India - one of its largest markets - bringing the world's longest, highest-capacity, and most technologically advanced subsea cable project to connect India, the US, and other locations," a spokesperson for the business explained.

The undersea cable, known as Project Waterworth, will be a multibillion-dollar, multi-year investment to strengthen the scale and reliability of the world's digital highways by opening three new oceanic corridors with the abundant, high-speed connectivity required to drive AI innovation around the world, Meta said in a blog post.

"We are also deploying first-of-its-kind routing, maximising the cable laid in deep water—at depths up to 7,000 metres—and using enhanced burial techniques in high-risk fault areas, such as shallow waters near the coast, to avoid damage from ship anchors and other hazards," Meta wrote.

According to a Meta spokesperson, the investment is motivated by the country's growing demand for digital services and reflects the company's commitment to supporting India's thriving digital landscape and fostering technological innovation.

In a joint statement issued earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to Meta for the undersea cable project, which will begin this year.

"India intends to invest in maintenance, repair, and financing of undersea cables in the Indian Ocean, using trusted vendors," the two countries said in a joint statement.

The addition of Meta's undersea cable will make it the 18th project with a landing station in India.

According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) data, the country has approximately 17 international subsea cables spread across 17 district landing stations.

Trai chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti stated at an event earlier this year that the total lit capacity and active capacity of these cables were 180 terabits per second (TBPS) and 132 TBPS, respectively.