Meta unveils Candle cable to boost Asia-Pacific connectivity

The 8,000-kilometre Candle system will deliver 570 Tbps of capacity, linking Japan, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia by 2028.

Submainre cables carrying Internet traffic

Meta has announced Candle, a new submarine cable system designed to enhance digital connectivity across East and Southeast Asia. The 8,000-kilometre network will link Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore by 2028, offering a record 570 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity.

Developed with regional telecommunications partners, Candle will use advanced 24 fibre-pair technology to deliver Meta’s largest bandwidth performance in the Asia-Pacific region.

The company also confirmed progress on several other subsea infrastructure projects. The Bifrost cable now connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States, with Mexico expected to join by 2026, adding 260 Tbps of new capacity.

Meanwhile, Echo currently links Guam and California with the same bandwidth, and Apricot has gone live between Japan, Taiwan, and Guam, with future extensions planned to Southeast Asia.

Together, Candle, Bifrost, Echo, and Apricot will improve intra-Asian connectivity and strengthen digital bridges between Asia and the Americas. These projects are part of Meta’s global network investments, including Project Waterworth and 2Africa, aimed at expanding access to AI and digital infrastructure.

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