Meta and Google are facing delays with long-promised undersea cable projects, according to a report by Bloomberg. A Meta spokesperson blames the delays on a “range of operational factors, regulatory concerns and geopolitical risk.”
Meta’s 2Africa subsea cable system is supposed to wrap around the African continent to deliver fiber internet to the region. It’s also intended to connect Europe with Asia and Africa. The 28,000-mile project was first announced all the way back in 2020.
However, the company has experienced issues when running cable through the southern portion of the Red Sea. A whole section has yet to be built due to regional conflicts and difficulty obtaining certain permits from local governments.
The Google-backed Blue-Raman intercontinental cable system has also been delayed in the region, after first being announced in 2021. This system was originally supposed to go live in 2024, connecting countries like France, Italy, India, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Oman. The company has not provided an updated timetable.
These are just two examples, as plenty of other fiber internet cables have yet to go live in the Red Sea. Builders have experienced repeated missile attacks, allegedly by the Iran-backed Houthis, which forced them on lengthy detours and disrupted work.
“They are not only unable to monetize their investments by sending data over these cables, but they are forced to purchase capacity on alternative cables to meet their near-term requirements,” said Alan Mauldin, research director at telecommunications firm Telegeography.
It’s worth noting that these delays shouldn’t impact two previously announced undersea fiber projects by Google and Meta. Google is building a cable to connect Togo to Europe, which will wrap around the Atlantic side. Meta is building a gigantic cable system that looks to connect five continents, which isn’t crossing the Red Sea.
Undersea cables are a great way to give the various regions of the world fiber internet, but there are some downsides. We’ve already covered geopolitical concerns when it comes to building, but the installed cables can tear and break. This is typically caused by natural disasters, extreme weather and human activities like fishing.
