The technology giant has also announced several updates to its subsea cables across the Asia-Pacific (APAC), including the completion of its Bifrost cable system. 

Meta currently has several subsea cable investments across APAC that have onward connections to the rest of the world. Once complete, these cables will be able to help deliver Meta’s products, services, AI and bolstered connectivity to billions of people across the region. 

“At Meta, we imagine a future where everyone has access to AI, personal superintelligence and other emerging technologies to improve their lives and connect with each other,” the company said in a statement.

“As such, we continue to build world-class network infrastructure with enough capacity and resilience to enable rich online experiences for people all over the world.” 

A significant part of Meta’s strategy in this area is Candle, which Meta has dubbed the largest capacity subsea cable system in the region. The goal of Candle is to bring increased connectivity to Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in 2028.  

The cable will reach 8,000 kilometres in length, with Meta planning to connect over 580 million people with 570 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity. With Meta collaborating with leading telecommunications companies across the region, Candle will be leveraging recently developed 24 fibre-pair cable technology to deliver bandwidth similar to the company’s largest capacity cable today, Anjana. 

Alongside Candle, Meta has also announced several updates to its APAC cable network. Notably, its Bifrost cable now connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and the US, with Mexico expected in 2026. The company explained that Bifrost will now take a different path from previous transpacific cables so it can add more than 260 Tbps of redundancy to this popular digital route. 

This forms part of Meta’s 2021 plans to increase transpacific capacity by 70% through both the Bifrost and Echo subsea cables. Meta said Echo now delivers 260 Tbps of capacity between Guam and California and there are options to boost connectivity in the future. 

Apricot was also announced, which is now available between Japan, Taiwan and Guam – with future extensions expected to the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. Meta said this system will complement the Bifrost and Echo systems with 290 Tbps of capacity. 

Combined, these four cables will enable intra-Asia connectivity across the APAC region, with Meta also supporting a transpacific bridge to the Americas. 

Earlier in the year, Meta announced Project Waterworth – its most ambitious subsea cable project to date – which is expected to land in five continents by the end of the decade.  

Currently, the APAC region holds more than 58% of the world’s internet users and many rely on robust global infrastructure for online connectivity and access to disruptive technologies like AI. 

“Our digital infrastructure development in the Asia-Pacific is part of our commitment to bring people together wherever they are in the world,” Meta’s statement added.

“Together with our partners, these investments will enhance the scale and reliability of the global telecommunications network and ensure the delivery of Meta’s services quickly and efficiently for businesses and people across APAC and beyond.” 

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