Meta plans globe-spanning sub-sea internet cable

Meta has announced plans to build a 50,000km (31,000 mile) subsea cable across the world.

The tech giant said Project Waterworth - connecting the US, India, South Africa, Brazil and other regions - will be the world's longest underwater cable project when completed.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has sought to extend its presence in technology beyond social media, including in artificial intelligence (AI) and the infrastructure that supports it.

It said its new cable project would provide "industry-leading connectivity" to five major continents and help support its AI projects.

The rising importance of subsea cables has increased concerns over their vulnerability to attacks or accidents.

Following a spate of severed cables, experts have said undersea communications infrastructure is a growing arena for geopolitical tensions and conflict.

Nato launched a mission in January to increase surveillance of ships in the Baltic Sea after damage to critical undersea cables last year.

A UK parliamentary committee recently issued a call for evidence about the UK's resilience in the face of potential disruption.

This said pointed to growing concern over "Russian and Chinese capabilities to hold undersea infrastructure at risk - particularly during periods of heightened tension or conflict".

Meta said in its blog post announcing Project Waterworth it would lay its cable system up to 7,000 meters deep and "use enhanced burial techniques in high-risk fault areas, such as shallow waters near the coast, to avoid damage from ship anchors and other hazards".