AFP
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is planning on building a fiber-optic cable network that will span the globe undersea, according to a report.
The 24,800-mile project would cost more than $10 billion and take year to complete, according to TechCrunch.
Meta, already part owner of 16 existing undersea networks, would be the sole owner and user.
The outlet reported that the plans are in the “early stages” and that the company will release more details after the first of the year, including its expected route and capacity.
The cable, when completed, would give Meta a dedicated pipeline for data traffic around the world.
“The planned route, sources say, would run from the east coast of the U.S. to India via South Africa, and then to the west coast of the U.S. from India via Australia,” TechCrunch reported.
The route is intended to help the company “avoid areas of geopolitical tension,” a source told TechCrunch.
Undersea cables have been in the news this week due to an incident believed to be sabotage.
Two telecommunications cables cut in the Baltic Sea in 48 hours prompted European officials to say that they suspect “hybrid warfare” linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO forces surrounded a ship this week that they believed purposely dragged its anchor for 100 miles to damage the lines.
