● Covered by 2 sources · 2 reportsMedium impact2 neutral
Meta Announces Petal, a Petabit-Class Transoceanic Subsea Cable Using Multi-Core Fiber
Key points
- Petal cable connects France and the United States over 7,000 km.
- It will deliver 1 petabit per second (Pbps) capacity.
- Petal is the first to deploy multi-core fiber technology at scale.
- It is expected to enter service in 2029.
- Meta is building the Petal subsea cable.
- Petal cable uses 48 fiber pairs.
- It will be built in partnership with NEC and Sumitomo Electric Industries.
- Orange will support the French landing of the cable.
Introduction of Petal Subsea Cable
Meta announced Petal, a new transoceanic subsea cable that will connect France and the United States. This cable is designed to deliver 1 petabit per second (Pbps) capacity over approximately 7,000 km, which is double the capacity of current advanced subsea cables at this distance. Petal is expected to become operational in 2029.
Technological Innovation
Petal will be the first subsea cable system to deploy multi-core fiber technology at scale. This innovation allows for doubling the capacity per fiber without a proportional increase in power consumption or physical infrastructure. This approach addresses the limitations of previous capacity increases, which relied on spatial division multiplexing (SDM) to add more fiber pairs.
Partnerships and Strategic Importance
The Petal project is a collaboration with NEC and Sumitomo Electric Industries, with Orange providing support for the French landing. This investment is part of Meta’s broader strategy to enhance subsea cable infrastructure, providing greater capacity, improved resiliency, and future-proof connectivity for Europe, as demand for communication and reliable internet access continues to grow.
Evolution of Subsea Cable Capacity
Subsea cables are critical for intercontinental data traffic, carrying approximately 99% of all international data. Historically, capacity increases have come from innovations like erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) and coherent optical transmission. More recently, the industry has shifted to spatial division multiplexing (SDM) by increasing the number of fiber pairs, with Meta's cables evolving from 8 to 24 fiber pairs. Multi-core fiber technology represents the next step in overcoming capacity limits.
Updates
- Meta is building the Petal subsea cable.
- Petal cable uses 48 fiber pairs.
- It will be built in partnership with NEC and Sumitomo Electric Industries.
- Orange will support the French landing of the cable.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Meta is building a new subsea cable, named Petal, connecting France and the United States with a bandwidth of 1 petabit per second (Pbps). This cable will be the most advanced of its length, utilizing 48 fiber pairs and a two-core fiber solution to achieve its high capacity, and is expected to enter service in 2029.
Meta is building Petal, a new subsea cable connecting France and the United States, which will be the first to deliver petabit capacity over transoceanic distances. This project will deploy multi-core fiber technology at scale, doubling capacity per fiber without a proportional increase in power or physical infrastructure, addressing increasing demand for global connectivity.