- Meta is partnering with V.tal to extend the Malbec subsea cable to Porto Alegre, Brazil by 2027.
- With this new extension, Malbec will become the first subsea cable to land in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, bringing more connectivity to millions of people in Southern Brazil and neighboring countries.
- Malbec will improve the scale and reliability of digital infrastructure in Porto Alegre, establishing it as a digital hub and improving online experiences across Southern Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Today, we’re announcing the extension of the Malbec subsea cable to the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Developed by Meta, in partnership with V.tal, Malbec is a 2,500 km cable that entered service in 2021 to provide connectivity between the Southern Cone of South America and Brazil. The new extension will be operational in 2027 and will link Porto Alegre to the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“The expansion of Malbec to Porto Alegre is a milestone for connectivity in South America, benefiting millions of people in Brazil and positioning the capital of Rio Grande do Sul as the first major international digital hub in the south of the country,” explained Ana Luiza Valadares, Meta’s Public Policy Director, Connectivity & Infra, LatAm. “It will contribute to attracting digital infrastructure companies, lowering costs for companies and improving consumer services.”
Felipe Campos, CEO of V.tal, added, “The impact of this project will be significant for the local digital economy, positioning Porto Alegre as a new connectivity hub. It will be a unique infrastructure that will attract the interest of operators and internet providers, as well as other submarine cable companies.
In addition, all the Southern Cone countries will benefit from this new ecosystem, not to mention the end users and companies who will have a better experience when using the internet and digital applications.”
This extension is one of the latest in Meta’s digital infrastructure investments to support growing demand for digital capacity, resilience, and global reach. Earlier this year, Meta also activated a Point of Presence (PoP) in Porto Alegre. PoPs facilitate the efficient delivery of content locally, which reduces the network management costs for internet service providers while improving the quality of experience for their customers. With the advent of AI and increasing demand for online services, digital infrastructure deployments play an important role in ensuring that the benefits of AI and other emerging technologies are available to everyone, regardless of where they live or work.
“This investment in submarine connectivity, fully aligned with our Economic, Inclusive and Sustainable Development Plan, represents a strategic milestone for the state’s future,” said Rio Grand do Sul Governor, Eduardo Leite. “Furthermore, it fosters artificial intelligence projects, technologies that are already transforming the present and will define the future of innovation, a sector in which Rio Grande do Sul is a leader in Brazil, according to the ranking of state competitiveness.”
Malbec will be the first international subsea cable to land in Rio Grande do Sul, bringing with it over 84 terabits of international capacity and direct connectivity to northern Brazil and Argentina. Like most subsea cables, local service providers will be able to acquire capacity on Malbec to serve additional bandwidth to millions of people in Brazil’s southern states. The providers will also extend Malbec’s capacity by connecting with providers in the neighboring countries of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, further positioning Brazil as a South American connectivity hub.
