• We’re introducing Candle, a new submarine cable connecting countries across East Asia and Southeast Asia.
• We’re also announcing several updates to our subsea cables across the Asia-Pacific, including the completion of the Bifrost cable system.

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is home to over 58% of the world’s internet users¹ – many who rely on robust global infrastructure for online connectivity and access to innovative tech such as AI.

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. 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. Earlier this year, for example, we announced Project Waterworth, our most ambitious subsea cable project yet, which will land in five continents, including Asia, by the end of the decade.  

Today, we’re sharing updates on four of our other subsea cable investments in APAC with onward connections to the rest of the world. Once complete, these cables will help deliver Meta’s products, services, AI, and new levels of connectivity to billions of people in the region.

Introducing Candle, APAC’s largest capacity subsea cable system 

Candle will be the largest capacity cable in APAC, bringing increased connectivity to Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, in 2028. Spanning 8,000 kilometers, Candle will connect over 580 million people with 570 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity.

In collaboration with leading telecommunications companies in the region, Candle will leverage recently developed 24 fiber-pair cable technology to deliver bandwidth similar to our largest capacity cable today, Anjana.

The Bifrost subsea cable has arrived; updates to Echo and Apricot 

In 2021, Meta and our partners committed to increase transpacific capacity by 70% through two subsea cables, Bifrost and Echo. 

Bifrost now connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States, with Mexico expected in 2026. Bifrost will chart a different path from prior transpacific cables to add over 260 Tbps of redundancy to this popular digital route.

Echo now delivers 260 Tbps of capacity between Guam and California, with options for onward connectivity into Asia in the future.

We also announced Apricot, which is now available between Japan, Taiwan, and Guam. With future extensions to the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore, this 12,000-kilometer system will complement the Bifrost and Echo systems with 290 Tbps of capacity.

Together, Candle, Echo, Bifrost, and Apricot will enable the Asia-Pacific region with intra-Asia connectivity and transpacific bridges to the Americas. Additionally, our investments in projects such as 2Africa, will chart a path to India, the Middle East, and Europe, while Project Waterworth will enable global connectivity.

Our digital infrastructure development in the Asia-Pacific is part of our commitment to bring people together wherever they are in the world. 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.