May 15, 2020
Facebook to build internet cable 'circumference of Earth'
Facebook is teaming up with telecoms companies to build a 37,000km undersea cable to supply faster internet to 16 countries in Africa. "When completed, this new route will deliver much-needed internet capacity, redundancy, and reliability across Africa, supplement a rapidly increasing demand for capacity in the Middle East, and support further growth of 4G, 5G, and broadband access for hundreds of millions of people," said Facebook in a blog. Africa lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to internet access, with four in 10 people across the continent having access to the web, compared with a global average of six in 10. Facebook is teaming up with Johannesburg-based MTN Group, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and Orange SA. Vodafone said it would pave the way for developing digital businesses on the continent. "We need to ensure that there is enough internet capacity to not only get people online, but to help build a modern digital society that includes services that require a large amount of data transfer, such as cloud computing or video," said Nick Gliddon, director of Vodafone Carrier Services.
Related companies
Make a complaint about Facebook by viewing their customer service contacts.
