Major subsea internet cable projects funded by Google and Meta are facing deployment delays in the Red Sea due to rising political tensions and security threats that have made the route unsafe for commercial vessels.

The setback affects critical global infrastructure meant to deliver high-speed internet to Africa and Asia, slowing planned connectivity improvements across both regions.

Meta Platforms’ 45,000-kilometre 2Africa subsea cable, launched in 2020 to encircle the African continent, remains incomplete in its southern Red Sea segment five years later, according to Bloomberg.

A Meta spokesperson, representing the consortium behind the project, attributed the delays to “a range of operational factors, regulatory concerns, and geopolitical risk.”

The spokesperson added that Meta is involved in roughly 24 global cable projects and is managing risks by diversifying its connectivity routes.

Similarly, a Google spokesperson confirmed that work on the company’s Blue-Raman subsea cable has also been delayed in the region, though no additional details were provided.

The report identifies repeated missile attacks in the Red Sea by Houthi forces over the past two years as the main factor making deployment “dangerous.”

These attacks have pushed commercial cargo vessels onto long detours and significantly hindered the operations of specialised ships needed to lay and repair critical subsea cables.