Project Waterworth

Overview

Project Waterworth is a transoceanic submarine cable system owned by Meta, spanning approximately 50,000 km. It connects six countries across five continents — Australia, Brazil, India, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States — forming one of the most geographically expansive single-owner cable systems in service. The cable serves multiple intercontinental corridors simultaneously, linking the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific ocean basins through a single integrated system.

Route and Landings

In Australia, the cable lands at Darwin in the Northern Territory.

In Brazil, the cable lands at Fortaleza, a well-established cable hub on the country's northeastern coast.

In India, the cable lands at two points: Chennai on the southeastern coast and Mumbai on the western coast.

In Malaysia, the cable lands at Penang.

In South Africa, the cable lands at two points: Amanzimtoti, near Durban on the east coast, and Cape Town on the southwest coast.

In the United States, the cable lands at Los Angeles, California, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, providing access to both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

Ownership and Operators

Project Waterworth is wholly owned by Meta, the American technology company. Meta has invested extensively in private submarine cable infrastructure to support the global connectivity demands of its platforms and services.

Status and Timeline

Project Waterworth is a planned cable system. No ready-for-service date has been confirmed.

Regional Context

Project Waterworth operates across several of the world's busiest intercontinental cable corridors. On the South Africa–India segment, it shares the corridor with 2Africa, a 45,000 km system with a 2024 ready-for-service date. On the India–Malaysia segment, it joins Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), which entered service in 2017, and SeaMeWe-6, targeted for 2026. The Australia–United States corridor is served by the Southern Cross Cable Network, in service since 2000, while the Brazil–United States corridor is covered by South America-1 and GlobeNet, both operational since the early 2000s. At 50,000 km, Project Waterworth is longer than each of these peer systems individually and uniquely interconnects all of these corridors within a single cable.

Based on 78 ping tests over the past 60 days, Project Waterworth records an average round-trip latency of 288.6 ms, with a best recorded measurement of 257.0 ms, reflecting the considerable geographic distances the cable spans.

Strategic Role

By landing in nine locations across six countries on five continents, Project Waterworth provides Meta with direct, diverse connectivity between North America, South America, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. The dual landings in the United States, India, and South Africa reduce reliance on any single coastal entry point in those countries. The cable's scale and multi-corridor reach distinguish it from the more regionally focused systems operating in overlapping segments of its route.