Project Waterworth

Overview

Project Waterworth is a submarine cable system owned by Meta, spanning approximately 50,000 km and connecting six countries across five continents: Australia, Brazil, India, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States. This cable is one of the most extensive single-owner systems globally, linking the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans through an integrated network. Its design facilitates intercontinental connectivity across diverse geographic regions, supporting Meta's global infrastructure needs. The cable's expansive reach enables seamless data transmission between some of the world's most economically and digitally significant regions.

With its extensive route, Project Waterworth connects major hubs in each continent it serves, enhancing regional and global internet capacity. The cable's strategic landings provide direct links to coastal cities that are critical for international telecommunications, ensuring robust connectivity and redundancy across multiple corridors. This system plays a vital role in supporting the growing demand for bandwidth and reliable data exchange, particularly for Meta's platforms and services.

Route and Landings

Project Waterworth spans multiple oceans and lands at nine locations across six countries. In South Africa, it lands at Amanzimtoti near Durban on the east coast and Cape Town on the southwest coast, connecting the country to global networks. In India, the cable has dual landings at Chennai on the southeastern coast and Mumbai on the western coast, linking both coasts to international routes. In Malaysia, the cable lands at Penang, a key telecommunications hub in Southeast Asia.

In Australia, the cable lands at Darwin in the Northern Territory, providing connectivity to Oceania. In Brazil, it lands at Fortaleza, a major cable landing site on the northeastern coast, facilitating links to South America. In the United States, the cable connects to both coasts, with landings at Los Angeles, California, on the Pacific coast, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on the Atlantic coast. These landings ensure diverse access points for North America, enhancing resilience and reducing dependence on single entry points.

The cable's route spans the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans, crossing vast distances and connecting regions with varying economic and technological landscapes. This design supports intercontinental data exchange and strengthens global connectivity between developed and emerging markets.

Ownership and History

Project Waterworth is wholly owned by Meta, the American technology company. Meta has increasingly invested in private submarine cable systems to meet the connectivity demands of its global platforms, including social media, messaging, and cloud services. By owning and operating this cable, Meta ensures control over critical infrastructure that supports its digital ecosystem.

The cable represents a significant milestone in Meta's efforts to expand its private network infrastructure. While the exact timeline for the cable's ready-for-service date remains unconfirmed, its development highlights Meta's strategic focus on enhancing global connectivity. The multi-landing design reflects the company's commitment to providing diverse and reliable links across continents, reducing reliance on third-party systems and ensuring high-performance connectivity for its users worldwide.

Project Waterworth's scale and intercontinental reach distinguish it from other submarine cable systems, making it a key component of Meta's global network strategy. Its ability to integrate multiple corridors within a single system is unique, positioning it as a transformative project in the submarine cable industry.

What Our Measurements Show

Our live monitoring of Project Waterworth reveals detailed insights into its performance across 838 measured corridors. The cable achieves a best round-trip time (RTT) of 0 ms, indicating exceptional latency in optimal conditions. The average RTT across all corridors is 179 ms, reflecting the vast geographic distances it spans. These measurements underscore the cable's efficiency in facilitating data transmission across continents.

The cable's performance varies by corridor, influenced by factors such as distance, oceanic crossings, and regional infrastructure. Despite these challenges, Project Waterworth consistently delivers competitive latency, supporting high-speed connectivity for Meta's platforms. The dual landings in countries like India and South Africa enhance redundancy and ensure reliable performance even in the face of localized disruptions.

By connecting nine landing points across six countries, Project Waterworth demonstrates the capacity to handle significant data traffic while maintaining low latency. Its measurements highlight the cable's role as a critical backbone for global internet infrastructure, enabling seamless communication and data exchange between diverse regions.