Meta's Candle Subsea Cable Targets 570 Tbps in Asia-Pacific by 2028
New subsea cable systems like Meta's Candle, expected in 2028, and the recently launched SJC2 are expanding Asia-Pacific connectivity to support increasing demand from AI, cloud computing, and immersive media. These cables aim to improve low-latency performance and enhance data flow for critical services such as video streaming across the region. NEC Corporation and OCC Corporation have also advanced subsea cable technology by qualifying repeaters and optical cables supporting up to 20 fiber pairs.
Key Takeaways
- Meta's Candle subsea cable, expected by 2028, will connect Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, providing 570 Tbps capacity.
- The Southeast Asia–Japan Cable 2 (SJC2) launched in July 2025, spanning 10,500 km with over 126 Tbps capacity, linking Singapore, Hong Kong, China, and Japan.
- NEC Corporation and OCC Corporation qualified subsea repeaters and optical cables supporting up to 20 fiber pairs (40 fibers), 25% more than the prior standard.
- Asia-Pacific remains the largest global region for digital demand, with China having 1.3 billion internet users and India over 1 billion.
Why It Matters
The completion and ongoing development of high-capacity subsea cables in Asia-Pacific directly addresses the exponential growth in demand from AI, cloud computing, and real-time streaming services. These infrastructure investments provide the foundational bandwidth and low-latency connectivity essential for delivering high-quality video experiences and supporting advanced AI workloads across the region. With hyperscalers like Meta leading development, these cables are now strategic assets that influence data sovereignty and digital competitiveness. Companies should monitor the activation timelines and connectivity profiles of these new cables, particularly their integration with terrestrial networks and data centers, to assess future network performance and strategic routing opportunities in the Asia-Pacific market.
Read full article at telecomreviewasia.com
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