Facebook unveils billion-dollar project to improve internet connections across Africa

The cable will be “nearly equal to the circumference of the Earth” according to Facebook and will interconnect 23 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Europe once complete.

Africa currently has an estimated 1.3 billion residents, but according to Facebook, it is one of the world’s “least connected” regions. 

Facebook said in a blog post, “We are committed to bringing more people online to a faster internet — and with 3.5 billion people globally unconnected, there is still a lot to do.”

For the project, which is named 2Africa, the organisation has partnered with numerous global network providers. The cable will be designed so that it can be buried three meters deeper than average in order to help prevent damage.