Project Waterworth: The World's Longest Submarine Cable Project
Meta will connect the US, India, South Africa, Brazil and other regions Project Waterworth The project, which will be the longest submarine cable in the world when completed, has the potential to revolutionize digital communications and aims to make a major contribution to artificial intelligence (AI)-supported applications.
Building Digital Highways
Meta, with this project, is a worldwide digital highways aims to strengthen. According to the information on the company's official blog, this cable will increase economic cooperation and support digital inclusion. Meta plans to create the highest capacity and longest infrastructure using a 24-fiber pair system.
Importance of Submarine Cables
Today, submarine cables play a critical role in the operation of digital services and the rapid transfer of data. More than 95 percent of global internet traffic passes through these cables. According to current data, there are more than 600 public submarine cable systems worldwide. One of these systems is the 2Africa project, in which Meta cooperates with major mobile operators such as Orange, Vodafone and China Mobile. This project is 45 thousand kilometers long and greatly strengthens intercontinental communications.
Infrastructure Investments of Technology Giants
Major technology companies continue to make significant investments in undersea cable infrastructure. Google announced that it will build a new cable between Africa and Australia in 2024. It will also make a $1 billion investment to strengthen connectivity to Japan in the Pacific Ocean. Prof. Vili Lehdonvirta from the Oxford Internet Institute emphasized that undersea cables have been laid by major technology companies in the last decade and that investments in this area are increasing.
Security Concerns and Geopolitical Risks
The increasing importance of submarine cables also brings with it some security concerns. Experts often point out that they are vulnerable to attacks or accidents. Recent cable cuts, in particular, have revealed how critical this infrastructure is in terms of geopolitical tensions. NATO has decided to increase its surveillance activities in the region following the damages in the Baltic Sea. The UK Parliament has also launched a review to increase the country’s resilience to such disruptions.
Meta's Strategic Approach
Meta plans to lay the cables at depths of up to 7 meters under Project Waterworth. Advanced burial techniques will be used to protect against ship anchors and other hazards in shallow waters close to the shore. Prof. Lehdonvirta stated that the project will bypass Europe and China and bypass geopolitical hot spots such as the Suez Canal and the South China Sea. This will strengthen the US’s connection to large and competitive markets in the southern hemisphere and can be considered as an attempt to increase the US’s economic and infrastructural power on a global scale.
As a result
Project Waterworth is a major step forward for the future of digital infrastructure. Meta’s submarine cable project will not only strengthen connectivity, but will also pave the way for technological advances. This will make digital communications around the world faster and more reliable, and will significantly increase economic cooperation and digital inclusion.
