Meta's Multibillion-Dollar Undersea Cable Project: Mumbai and Vizag to be Landing Sites

Meta has chosen Mumbai and Visakhapatnam as the landing sites for its multibillion-dollar subsea cable project, Waterworth. The company has hired Sify Technologies as its landing partner in India under a $5 million contract. Google has also partnered with Sify for the India landing of its $400 million Blue-Raman subsea cable. The deals highlight the growing investment in India's digital infrastructure and the country's strategic importance in global data connectivity networks.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has selected Mumbai and Visakhapatnam as the landing sites for its multibillion-dollar subsea cable project, Waterworth. The company has hired Sify Technologies as its landing partner in India under a $5 million contract Meta's subsea cable to dock at Mumbai, Vizag^[1]. Google has also partnered with Sify for the India landing of its $400 million Blue-Raman subsea cable, further underscoring the growing investment in India's digital infrastructure.

The selection of Mumbai and Visakhapatnam as landing sites for Waterworth, which is set to become the world's longest subsea cable system, highlights India's strategic importance in global data connectivity networks. The cable, which will connect the US, India, Brazil, and South Africa, is expected to land in 2030. Sunil Tagare, founder of OpenCables Inc., estimates that this project could be a $10 billion investment over the next 5-10 years Meta's subsea cable to dock at Mumbai, Vizag^[1].

The deals by Meta and Google with Sify Technologies underscore the deepening investment of Big Data companies in India's digital infrastructure. Sify's role as a landing partner indicates the growing demand for cheaper and more efficient landing infrastructure in the country. This trend is also evident in the involvement of Indian telecom operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, who are investing heavily in subsea cable systems to meet surging data demands.

The global submarine communication cable market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2023 to 2028, reaching $40.58 billion by 2028, with the Indian market expected to reach $78.6 million by 2030 Carrier Class Switch Market Projected to Achieve USD 12.3 billion Valuation by Key Players:Cisco Systems Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Arista Networks Inc.,^[2]. This growth is driven by the increasing demand for high-performance network infrastructure and the rise in data traffic across telecommunication networks.

The large investments by Google and Meta in subsea cables could potentially pit these technology bellwethers against domestic data incumbents like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Tata Communications amid a data center boom. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India expects the global submarine communication cable market to grow 7.2% compounded annually to $40.58 billion in 2028 from $27.57 billion in 2023 Carrier Class Switch Market Projected to Achieve USD 12.3 billion Valuation by Key Players:Cisco Systems Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Arista Networks Inc.,^[2].

Opportunities are opening up for neutral players such as Sify Technologies and Lightstorm, which have been offering cheaper landing infrastructure in India compared with telecom incumbents like Airtel and Tata Communications. The market for carrier class switches, which are critical in enabling seamless connectivity, low latency, and high reliability in service provider environments, is projected to reach USD 12.3 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2025 to 2031 Carrier Class Switch Market Projected to Achieve USD 12.3 billion Valuation by Key Players:Cisco Systems Inc., Juniper Networks Inc., Arista Networks Inc.,^[2].

In conclusion, the investments by Meta and Google in subsea cables, along with the growth projections for the global submarine communication cable market, indicate a robust and growing demand for digital infrastructure in India. These investments also highlight the country's strategic importance in global data connectivity networks and the potential for significant growth in the carrier class switch market.