"Why it matters: Facebook has long been looking for ways to increase the availability and quality of internet access around the world. Years ago, the social media giant even developed a massive, solar-powered plane that could beam high-speed internet to underserved areas. That project was killed off in 2018, but Facebook is pursuing a new idea now: a giant, undersea fiber-optic cable that will stretch between Europe and the US."

"The goal of this initiative is to drastically improve data transfer speeds between the two regions. The cable will be composed of 24 fiber pairs, with the ability to transmit a "half Petabit per second." If the cable's construction is successful, that figure will represent the fastest data transfer speeds for any long-distance, "repeatered optical subsea cable system" of its kind."