Tech giant Meta Platforms has selected Mumbai and Visakhapatnam (Vizag) as the landing points in India for its monumental ‘Project Waterworth,’ which is set to become the world’s longest and highest-capacity undersea fiber-optic cable system.

The multi-billion dollar initiative, first announced earlier this year, will span over 50,000 kilometers—a distance greater than the Earth’s circumference—connecting five major continents. The cable system will link key global digital hubs, including the United States, India, Brazil, and South Africa, with a focus on meeting the skyrocketing global demand for high-speed connectivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

Project Waterworth is viewed by industry analysts as a game-changer for India’s digital economy. The cable’s enormous capacity and direct connection to the US and other continents are expected to:

• Supercharge Connectivity: Significantly boost internet speeds and reduce latency for Indian users accessing global services, cloud computing, and real-time applications.
• Fuel AI Innovation: Provide the massive, high-speed data transfer required to support the next generation of AI and Machine Learning technologies in India, positioning the country as a potential global AI infrastructure hub.
• Enhance Resilience: The cable’s unique, ‘W-shaped’ route has been engineered to avoid the high-risk, volatile Red Sea corridor, enhancing the resilience and reliability of India’s international data links.

Meta has reportedly contracted Sify Technologies as its landing partner in India, a deal that underscores the company’s commitment to building out its physical infrastructure.

The choice of landing sites is strategically significant:

• Mumbai is India’s long-established financial and digital hub, offering existing robust telecom and data center infrastructure.
• Visakhapatnam (Vizag) is an emerging tech hub, a strategic coastal location expected to handle future data traffic and provide a vital connectivity gateway to Southeast Asia and beyond.

Project Waterworth is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of the decade, making it Meta’s most ambitious infrastructure undertaking to date and cementing India’s critical role in the future of the global digital backbone.