Facebook is in talks to develop an underwater data cable that would encircle Africa, The Wall Street Journal reported citing unnamed people familiar with the plans. The aim is to drive down its bandwidth costs and making it easier for Facebook to sign up more users. The three-stage project, named Simba after the lead character in “The Lion King”, could link up with beachheads in several countries on the continent’s eastern, western and Mediterranean coasts, though the exact route and number of landings is in flux.
There was no immediate comment from Facebook on its plans for Africa but spokesman Travis Reed said it looks all over the world when it considers subsea cable routes.
The company has led projects linking markets in North America, Europe and East Asia, usually sharing the investment burden with traditional telecommunications companies, which lack the cash to lay down the cables on their own. The people said talks for the Simba project are continuing, cautioning that they could still fall apart.