US EditionGoogle, Meta Delay Red Sea Cables as Security Risks Rattle Plans
Delays in Google and Meta's subsea cables result from permit issues, geopolitical risks, and missile attacks, leaving key Red Sea sections incomplete, analysts say.
- Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Google LLC and Meta Platforms face delays with long-promised subsea cables, while Google's Blue-Raman, originally set for 2024, now has an indefinite delay.
- Amid regional conflicts and permitting delays, a Meta spokesperson blamed operational, regulatory and geopolitical risks, while builders cited local governments' permit difficulties and missile attacks allegedly by Iran-backed Houthis.
- Alan Mauldin of Telegeography warned they are not only unable to monetize their investments by sending data over these cables, but they must buy capacity on alternative cables, and Meta has not provided an updated timetable.
- Some projects, including Google's Togo-to-Europe Atlantic cable, should remain unaffected despite delays hindering Meta's 2Africa subsea cable designed to link Europe, Asia, and Africa.
- At scale, the projects cover vast distances, with the 28,000-mile route announced in 2020 aiming to span five continents and over 50,000 km amid natural and human hazards.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Google, Meta Delay Red Sea Cables as Security Risks Rattle Plans
Multiple subsea internet cables slated to run through the Red Sea are yet to complete as planned, as political tensions and heightened security threats have made the route more dangerous and complicated for commercial vessels.
While Meta, Google and other operators thought they'd quietly shut down their new submarine cables, everything is squeaking in the Red Sea. Ship attacks, impossible authorizations, improvised alternative roads complicate the life of an industry that transports 95% of the world's Internet traffic.
An Unfinished Run of Fiber in the Red Sea Shows How Global Connectivity Can Be Pushed Off Course When the Politics of a Waterway Harden
The Red Sea has long carried the weight of global trade, and now another burden has settled on it. Several undersea cable projects planned to run beneath this narrow corridor have stalled. The region’s political volatility has created an environment where commercial vessels face real operational constraints, turning what should be a standard engineering route … The post The Red Sea’s Tensions Spill Into the Digital Realm as Cable Projects Slow D…
Red Sea Conflict Forces Google & Meta to Delay Undersea Cable Projects
The multi-billion dollar race to lay the next generation of global internet infrastructure is facing a major roadblock in one of the world’s most critical sea lanes. Both Meta and Google have confirmed significant delays to major undersea fiber optic cable projects intended to traverse the Red Sea corridor. The companies cite escalating security risks and geopolitical instability in the region. This disruption affects some of the world’s largest…
Meta (META) Stock Today — Nov. 17, 2025: Red Sea Cable Delays, Renewable-Energy Milestone, and a Pixel Lawsuit Settlement
Published Nov. 17, 2025 Quick take: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) traded modestly lower on Monday as investors weighed fresh infrastructure and legal headlines against a calm-but-cautious broader market tone ahead of key U.S. data and Nvidia earnings later this week. As of 17:30 UTC, META changed hands at $607.11 (intraday $603.36–$613.00; open $609.35; market cap ≈$1.85T). What moved META today Price action at a glance (intraday) The story behi…
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