Meta to build Asia-Pacific's largest subsea cable by 2028
What's the story
Meta, the US tech giant, has announced its plan to launch the Asia-Pacific region's largest capacity subsea cable in 2028. The cable, dubbed Candle, will stretch over some 8,000km and improve connectivity between Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The project is expected to have a capacity of around 570 terabits per second (Tbps), benefiting over 580 million people.
Tech details
Candle cable to employ 24 fiber-pair technology
The Candle cable will employ 24 fiber-pair technology to provide bandwidth comparable to Meta's highest capacity cable, Anjana. The new infrastructure will be developed in partnership with regional telecom companies. This ambitious project is part of Meta's broader effort to bolster digital connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for over 58% of the world's internet users.
Project updates
Updates on other ongoing subsea projects
Along with the Candle cable, Meta has also shared updates on its other ongoing subsea projects. The Bifrost cable system now links Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the US, with Mexico expected to be added in 2026. The Echo cable provides a capacity of 260Tbps between Guam and California, while future extensions will connect it to Asia.
Future expansion
Apricot system will span over 12,000km
Meta's Apricot system, which will extend to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore in the future, spans 12,000km. It will add to Bifrost and Echo systems with a capacity of 290Tbps. Separately, Meta is also hiring contractors in the US at rates as high as $55 per hour for developing Hindi-language AI chatbots for Indian users.