NEW DELHI– Meta announced plans to launch the Asia-Pacific region’s largest-capacity subsea cable, named Candle, by 2028, further expanding the company’s global connectivity infrastructure across the region.
Spanning approximately 8,000 kilometers, Candle will link Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, offering an estimated data capacity of 570 terabits per second (Tbps). The system will leverage advanced 24-fiber-pair technology — the same used in Meta’s highest-capacity cable, Anjana — and will be developed in partnership with leading regional telecom operators, the company said in a statement.
The cable will serve an estimated 580 million people, significantly enhancing digital connectivity across Asia-Pacific’s fast-growing internet markets.
Meta also announced updates to its ongoing subsea infrastructure projects, including the completion of the Bifrost system. Bifrost now connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States, with an extension to Mexico expected in 2026. The system will add more than 260 Tbps of capacity along a new transpacific route, improving redundancy and reliability for global data traffic.
Meanwhile, Echo — another major Meta-backed cable — currently provides 260 Tbps of capacity between Guam and California, with future links planned into Asia. The 12,000-kilometer Apricot system, connecting the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, will complement both Bifrost and Echo with an additional 290 Tbps of bandwidth.
Meta highlighted that the Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than 58 percent of the world’s internet users, underscoring the need for resilient, high-speed digital infrastructure to support growing demand and emerging technologies such as AI.
In a related development, reports indicate Meta is hiring U.S.-based contractors at rates of up to $55 (around ₹4,850) per hour to develop Hindi-language AI chatbots aimed at enhancing user engagement in India. (Source: IANS)
