Tech Desk 
Feb 19, 2025
In a much-needed step towards enhancing global connectivity, tech giant Meta has announced plans to install an undersea cable that will span five continents simultaneously.
AFP reported, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter, that the parent company of Facebook and Instagram claimed that the cable would transmit data, which would also aid in the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
The company specified in a blog post on Friday that the cable will reportedly span over 50,000 kilometres (31,000 miles) and intersect the US, South Africa, India, Brazil, and "other regions."
The development of the internet cable will catalyse digital communications across the globe, as they rely heavily on a massively expanded network of undersea conduits.
Currently, an estimated 1.2 million kilometres of cable is installed undersea, according to a 2024 report by the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Big Tech like Google and Meta recently forayed into the landscape of submarine cable deployment, a space which was long dominated by companies like America's SubCom, France's ASN, Japan's NEC and China's HMN that specialise in cable landing.
