Internet Connectivity Expansion and Infrastructure

4/9/2026

This post details Meta's strategy for modernizing its WebRTC implementation, which powers real-time audio and video across numerous services. It addresses the challenge of maintaining a forked open-source project within a monorepo by introducing a dual-stack architecture and a shim layer. This allows for safe A/B testing of new upstream versions against legacy versions, enabling continuous upgrades and improved performance, binary size, and security across over 50 use cases. The post also outlines technical solutions for symbol collision resolution, backward compatibility, runtime dispatch, and automated shim generation.

11/18/2025

This post announces the completion of the core 2Africa subsea cable system, the world's longest open access system. It details the engineering innovations, including the deployment of 16-fiber-pair SDM technology, undersea optical wavelength switching, and strategies for avoiding seabed hazards. It also highlights the scale of the project, involving 35 offshore vessels and spanning 50 jurisdictions, and quantifies the expected economic impact and bandwidth improvements for Africa.

10/16/2025

This post details Meta's "10X Backbone" initiative, focusing on scaling the Express Backbone (EBB) network to support the increasing demands of AI workloads. It introduces three key techniques: DC Metro Architecture for simplified and scalable DC connectivity, IP Platform Scaling (both scaling up with larger chassis/faster interfaces and scaling out by adding planes/devices), and IP/Optical Integration using ZR technology for significant power and space efficiency. The post also outlines solutions for AI cluster expansion, including FR, LR, and ZR plugs with DWDM, to address varying reach requirements.

10/6/2025

This post announces the introduction of the Candle subsea cable, the largest capacity cable in APAC, connecting Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore with 570 Tbps of capacity over 8,000 kilometers. It also provides updates on other APAC subsea cables: Bifrost now connects Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the US, with Mexico expected in 2026, adding over 260 Tbps of redundancy. Echo delivers 260 Tbps between Guam and California. Apricot is available between Japan, Taiwan, and Guam, with future extensions to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, offering 290 Tbps. These cables, along with Project Waterworth and 2Africa, aim to enhance intra-Asia connectivity, transpacific bridges, and global reach.

5/22/2025

This post announces the extension of the Malbec subsea cable to Porto Alegre, Brazil, operational by 2027. This extension will be the first subsea cable to land in Rio Grande do Sul, bringing over 84 terabits of international capacity and direct connectivity to Southern Brazil, Argentina, and other neighboring countries. It also mentions the activation of a Point of Presence (PoP) in Porto Alegre earlier in the year to facilitate efficient local content delivery.

5/1/2025

This post details the engineering journey of building subsea cables, highlighting their critical role in Meta's global infrastructure and the technical nuances involved in their design and deployment. It discusses the engineering challenges and innovations associated with large-scale subsea cable projects, referencing Project Waterworth.

2/14/2025

Announces Project Waterworth, Meta's most ambitious subsea cable endeavor to date, spanning over 50,000 km across five continents. Highlights advancements in engineering design for cable resilience, including the use of 24 fiber pairs, first-of-its-kind routing maximizing deep water deployment (up to 7,000 meters), and enhanced burial techniques in high-risk areas. Emphasizes the project's role in strengthening global digital infrastructure to support AI innovation and digital inclusion.

3/21/2024

This post details the technical integration of Threads with the fediverse using the ActivityPub protocol. It explains the challenges and solutions for federating content, specifically addressing the handling of quote posts by implementing FEP-e232 and Misskey's `_misskey_quote` property. It also discusses the complexities of federated and non-federated interactions within Threads and outlines a phased approach for future fediverse features.

6/29/2023

Meta is contributing the IP for its Evenstar program, which accelerates open RAN adoption, to the Open Compute Project (OCP). This includes contributing Evenstar's radio unit design, firmware, design files, and test scripts to OCP, making it the industry's first open, white box radio unit solution. This move aims to foster a multi-vendor supply chain and accelerate the commercialization and adoption of open RAN technologies.

5/22/2023

This post announces the licensing of Meta's Bombyx technology to Hibot for product development. It details the technical innovations of Bombyx, including its miniature fiber cable, spool-free geometry, ability to traverse energized conductors, and obstacle crossing capabilities using machine vision and custom sensors. It also highlights Hibot's plans to leverage this technology for infrastructure inspection and grid modernization.

5/2/2022

Introduced a novel technique for optical fiber route surveys in areas with limited paved roads, specifically in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This method combines dynamic cone penetrometers (DCP) with gamma-ray spectrometers mounted on high-clearance 4x4 vehicles. The spectrometer gathers gamma emissions for broad soil density estimation and heterogeneity detection, while a minimized number of DCP tests are used to calibrate the spectrometer data. This approach significantly accelerates the survey process and improves the accuracy of cost estimates for network construction by enabling detailed geographical information system maps that combine traditional survey data with detailed soil condition information, even without extensive road access.

11/11/2021

This post details the launch of the Malbec subsea cable, a 2,500 km cable connecting Argentina and Brazil, with future connections to Buenos Aires. It highlights the cable's role in improving capacity and reliability, increasing internet penetration, and enabling businesses to operate online. The post also mentions the use of advanced fiber optic technology, including spatial division multiplexing and innovations in repeaters and transponders, and reiterates Meta's commitment to open and flexible cable architecture through partnerships.

9/28/2021

Announced the 2Africa Pearls subsea cable segment, an extension of the 2Africa cable system. This new segment connects Africa, Europe, and Asia, adding several new landing locations and increasing the total length of the 2Africa cable system to over 45,000 kilometers. The combined system will provide connectivity to 3 billion people, significantly increasing internet access in Africa and connecting it to the rest of the world.

8/16/2021

This post announces Meta's participation in the Apricot subsea cable system, a 12,000-kilometer cable connecting Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. Apricot will have an initial design capacity of over 190 terabits per second, aiming to boost internet capacity, redundancy, and reliability in the Asia-Pacific region to meet rising data demands and support 4G, 5G, and broadband access. This is part of Meta's ongoing effort to expand global network infrastructure through partnerships and shared technology expertise.

6/28/2021

This post details Meta's ongoing efforts to bridge the digital divide by expanding internet access globally. It highlights investments in terrestrial and subsea fiber infrastructure across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, including specific projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, and Indonesia. It also announces the integration of Magma with AWS for faster network deployments, the acceleration of OpenRAN through the Evenstar program with new supply chain partners, the expansion of Express Wi-Fi and Facebook Wi-Fi platforms with new analytics and monetization capabilities, and the commercial launch of Terragraph-based products by OEM partners like MikroTik. These initiatives aim to increase the availability and affordability of high-quality internet, particularly in underconnected regions.

5/13/2021

This post details the scalable design, software implementation, and operations of Facebook's data center routing design based on Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). It highlights how BGP can form a robust routing foundation within data centers when tightly integrated with topology, configuration, switch software, and operational pipelines. The post introduces a uniform AS numbering scheme, hierarchical route summarization, and an in-house BGP agent with a robust testing and deployment framework to ensure fast, incremental updates and high availability for services.

3/29/2021

Announced two new subsea cables, Echo and Bifrost, connecting Singapore, Indonesia, and North America. These cables will utilize a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea and are projected to increase overall transpacific capacity by 70 percent. This initiative aims to enhance connectivity in Indonesia and support Singapore's digital growth, contributing to Meta's broader goal of bringing more people online to a faster internet.

12/30/2020

This post highlights significant progress in 2020 for internet connectivity expansion. It details the use of robots for aerial fiber-optic cable installation, the major 2Africa subsea cable project connecting Africa and the Middle East, the development of the SuperCell solution for rural connectivity, and the Evenstar program for affordable broadband through OpenRAN. It also mentions the open-sourcing of Magma for mobile core networks and the continued efforts in bringing lower-cost broadband through technologies like Terragraph. Additionally, it touches upon network performance improvements with QUIC and HTTP/3, and hardware optimization for microservices.

12/17/2020

This post details the progress of the Evenstar program, a collaboration with industry partners to build general-purpose Radio Access Network (RAN) reference designs for 4G and 5G networks within the Open RAN ecosystem. It highlights the completion of lab validation for the first Evenstar remote radio unit (RRU) product and the commencement of engineering work on the distributed unit (DU). The program's framework aims to decouple RRU, DU, and control unit (CU) software to enable operators to select best-of-breed components, fostering innovation and competition. The post also mentions upcoming field trials and scaled deployments for OpenRAN in 2021, with Evenstar expected to play a key role in reducing costs and increasing flexibility for operators.

12/3/2020

This post details the development and testing of SuperCell, a wide-area coverage solution for increasing mobile connectivity in rural communities. It describes the technical approach using tall towers and high-gain, narrow-sectored antennas, presents propagation testing methodologies and results, analyzes angular spread to mitigate intersector interference, and reports on LTE field test performance including throughput and handover. The post also compares SuperCell to other rural connectivity solutions and aims to provide a playbook for the telecom industry.

11/19/2020

This post details the economic impact of subsea cables in Africa, specifically highlighting the 2Africa cable project. It includes estimates from RTI International on the potential increase in African GDP and employment within the first two to three years of the cable going live. The post also presents findings from a series of studies on the role of subsea cables and broadband connectivity in the economic development of six sub-Saharan African countries, providing specific data on employment and GDP per capita increases in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It emphasizes the importance of these infrastructure investments for economic growth and closing the digital divide.

7/13/2020

This post details the development of a robotic system for deploying specialized fiber-optic cables on medium-voltage (MV) power lines. It addresses the challenges of cost-effective fiber construction by leveraging existing electrical infrastructure. Key technical contributions include the design of a helical wrapping machine adapted for MV lines, a specialized fiber-optic cable design (24-strand, single loose tube) optimized for weight and diameter, and a system that minimizes 'make-ready' work on power lines. The goal is to achieve a 3x to 5x cost reduction in aerial fiber construction and enable fiber deployment within a few hundred meters of much of the world's population.

5/14/2020

This post announces the 2Africa subsea cable project, a partnership to build the most comprehensive subsea cable serving Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. It details the cable's length (37,000 km), its capacity (nearly three times current subsea cables serving Africa), and its goal to deliver internet capacity, redundancy, and reliability. It highlights the use of new technologies such as aluminum conductors for submarine cable systems and Spatial Division Multiplexing (SDM1) for increased fiber pair capacity. The design emphasizes resiliency with increased burial depth and advanced routing to avoid subsea disturbances. The project aims to foster an open and inclusive internet ecosystem, enabling improved accessibility for businesses and individuals, and supporting the growth of 4G, 5G, and broadband access.

5/5/2020

This post details the technical implementation of the Discover web-based proxy service, an evolution from Free Basics. It describes the architectural challenges of securely presenting third-party webpages and their resources within a proxy configuration, especially when enabling JavaScript execution. Key technical contributions include: the origin collapsing architecture under a single domain (`discoverapp.com`) for simplified operator configuration; a URL rewriting scheme to transform third-party URLs into a format compatible with the proxy's single namespace and TLS certificate; server-side cookie management to overcome browser limitations and domain namespace constraints, using client-side `datr` and `ick` cookies for encryption and integrity; and a robust mechanism to mitigate JavaScript-enabled threats like session fixation and cookie overwriting by using HMAC (`ickt`) derived from `ick` and `datr`, stored in trusted `localStorage` on a non-third-party origin.

2/25/2020

This post details advancements in Meta's global connectivity initiatives, including new collaborations for Terragraph to provide high-speed broadband in urban, suburban, and rural communities. It announces the launch of Evenstar remote radio units (RRUs) to accelerate OpenRAN adoption in 4G/5G networks. The post also highlights the traction of the Magma open-source software platform for mobile core networks and its deployment for fixed wireless access and edge data offloading. Furthermore, it outlines progress in strengthening rural connectivity through satellite operators and network-as-a-service (NaaS) models, and announces new fiber network deployments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Indonesia, and Nigeria, alongside efforts to reduce the cost of aerial fiber deployments. Finally, it details the expansion of Wi-Fi connectivity with the Express Wi-Fi platform through new partners and the introduction of Express Wi-Fi-compatible hardware.

11/21/2019

This post announces a groundbreaking event for a new long-haul fiber route connecting data centers in Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina. This infrastructure build is part of an ongoing network expansion to provide resilient and scalable paths to data centers, ensuring fast and efficient access to Meta's products and services for over 2.7 billion users.

9/30/2019

This post introduces MaRS (Machine-Augmented Automatic Review System) and LoChas (Logical Changesets) as new tools developed to efficiently and accurately ingest and maintain map data from OpenStreetMap. These tools address the challenges of keeping local map copies current and accurate by breaking down changesets into individual operations and using machine learning for automated review, thereby reducing the workload for human intervention and ensuring geometric correctness and idempotency of updates.

5/28/2019

This post details the evolution of Meta's DHCP infrastructure, moving from ISC-DHCP to Kea, and finally to an extended DHCPLB that acts as a server. It highlights the challenges of single-threaded servers like Kea leading to performance bottlenecks and packet drops, and how the Go-based DHCPLB with its multithread design and the new DHCP library addresses these issues, resulting in significantly improved throughput and reduced server count. The post also emphasizes the open-sourcing of the DHCPLB framework and the underlying DHCP library.

3/6/2019

This post introduces the development of the first aluminum conductor for submarine cable systems, a significant advancement over copper. This innovation addresses capacity challenges by allowing for a lower cable voltage drop, enabling a higher number of fiber optic pairs per cable. This is crucial for increasing overall cable capacity and paving the way for space-division multiplexing systems.

3/2/2019

This post details Meta's continued investment in core backbone network infrastructure, specifically focusing on building new long-haul fiber routes to connect data centers in Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina. It also highlights the company's pragmatic approach to network infrastructure investment, including leveraging existing partnerships, co-investing in new infrastructure, and leading investments in new fiber-optic cable routes when specific needs arise. The post introduces Middle Mile Infrastructure, a Facebook subsidiary operating as a wholesale provider to offer excess fiber capacity to third parties, including local and regional providers, to extend service to underserved areas. It also references past infrastructure investments, such as the 200-mile cable connecting data centers in New Mexico and Texas, and collaborations on subsea fiber-optic cables like Marea, Havfrue, and Jupiter.

2/25/2019

This post announces the open-sourcing of Magma, a software platform for deploying mobile networks. Magma provides a software-centric distributed mobile packet core and tools for automating network management, enabling faster deployment cycles and integration with existing LTE EPCs. It is designed to extend network topologies to rural deployments, private LTE networks, and wireless enterprise deployments, simplifying operations through automated provisioning, software updates, and device provisioning.

1/25/2019

Developed a new predictive model for mapping medium-voltage (MV) electrical grid infrastructure using publicly available data sets, achieving approximately 70% accuracy within one kilometer of known grid locations. This model leverages nighttime radiance data from VIIRS, processed to remove natural and non-settlement light sources, and a modified Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm to estimate grid paths. The output is released in CSV and GeoTIFF formats for six countries, with accompanying documentation and code for replication.

10/16/2018

This post details advancements in global internet connectivity efforts, focusing on the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and its role in accelerating innovation. It highlights the expansion of the Terragraph ecosystem with new trials and chipset support, rural deployments in Latin America and Africa using OpenRAN and terrestrial backhaul, and the use of Advanced Network Planning and Actionable Insights tools for network optimization. Key takeaways from early deployments include the technical validation of Terragraph for delivering fast, reliable 60 GHz connections and the viability of rural deployments through high-definition geospatial imagery, mixed spectrum backhaul, and OpenRAN solutions. The post emphasizes a partnership approach and the sharing of learnings with the broader telecom community.

9/4/2018

This post details the development and open-sourcing of FBOSS (Facebook open switching system), a custom switch software designed for large-scale, rapidly growing networks. It highlights FBOSS's leaner architecture compared to standard switch software, its modular abstractions, and its role in enabling a 30x increase in FBOSS deployments over two years. The post also mentions FBOSS's importance in implementing IPv6 and the Fabric Aggregator for inter-building connectivity.

8/28/2018

Introduced the Express Wi-Fi Technology Partner program to enable access point manufacturers to build hardware compatible with Express Wi-Fi. This program enhances user experience, service quality, and hotspot management by enabling more local processing for authentication and accounting, reducing central server load and improving scalability, especially in backhaul-constrained areas. New access points improve registration page detection, data accounting, and support traffic class differentiation for varied service offerings.

8/17/2018

This post details the open-sourcing of Facebook's solar-powered aircraft design methods (FBHALE) and the underlying multidisciplinary optimization (MDO) framework. It explains the need for MDO to balance competing design objectives like aerodynamic performance and structural mass for high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft. The post outlines the framework's logic, disciplinary modeling (aerodynamic performance, structural performance), and integrated performance calculations, including simulating winter solstice missions. It also presents example applications comparing single-boom and dual-boom configurations and their Pareto frontiers, highlighting the framework's ability to predict optimal aircraft weight and performance based on latitude. Future developments are envisioned in control systems, power systems, and airworthiness certification.

8/10/2018

This post introduces two new tools, Advanced Network Planning and Actionable Insights, to help connectivity partners improve network planning and optimization. Advanced Network Planning uses computer vision and machine learning with satellite imagery and LiDAR data to identify infrastructure like light poles and optimize network design for fiber builds and cell tower placement, reducing planning time from days to minutes. Actionable Insights consists of Network Insights, which uses aggregated and de-identified user connection data from the Facebook app to generate network performance maps and identify areas for coverage, speed, and latency improvements, and Market Insights, which provides aggregated and de-identified data on market share, device usage, and SIM card switching rates to inform business and hardware planning decisions for operators and device makers.

6/27/2018

This post announces a strategic shift in Meta's High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) connectivity efforts. While acknowledging past work on the Aquila aircraft and millimeter-wave (MMW) communication technology (including setting new records for air-to-ground and point-to-point communication), Meta is ceasing its own aircraft design and construction. Instead, the company will focus on partnering with established aerospace companies like Airbus for HAPS development and will continue to contribute to other system components such as flight control computers and high-density batteries. Meta will also actively engage in policy and spectrum advocacy for HAPS. The post reiterates Meta's ongoing commitment to expanding global internet access through other initiatives like Terragraph, fiber infrastructure projects, and the Express Wi-Fi program.

6/6/2018

This post details the growth of IPv6 deployment across the US and other countries, highlighting its performance benefits over IPv4 and the critical need for migration due to IPv4 address exhaustion. It shares data on Facebook's IPv6 traffic, including the impact of adjusting the Happy Eyeballs algorithm timeout to improve application responsiveness. The post also notes the significant IPv6 adoption by US mobile carriers and ISPs, as well as exponential growth in countries like Taiwan, India, Mexico, and Vietnam, encouraging further industry-wide adoption.

5/21/2018

This post introduces and details Facebook's Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) system, named Vending Machine, for automating the provisioning of its global backbone networks. It describes the challenges of scaling heterogeneous IP and optical networks, the limitations of previous manual and console-based approaches, and the development of Vending Machine. Key technical contributions include the use of Python agents executed on network devices via ZTP to download instructions, execute commands, and report logs, and a flexible workflow framework composed of independent 'steps' that can be developed and deployed iteratively. The system aims to replace manual Method of Procedures (MOPs) with a single command for configuring any network device.

3/20/2018

This post introduces the Fabric Aggregator, a distributed network system designed to scale the network capacity between data center fabrics. It addresses the growing demand for bandwidth driven by immersive experiences like live video, 360 photos/videos, and VR. The Fabric Aggregator utilizes a disaggregated approach with simple, open building blocks like Wedge 100 switches and FBOSS, allowing for flexible adaptation to future growth, improved power efficiency, and enhanced reliability through isolated failures.

2/26/2018

This post details the engineering validation and upcoming field trials of Terragraph, a millimeter-wave wireless backhaul system, in partnership with Deutsche Telekom and Telenor. It also announces new partner trials for OpenCellular, a low-power base station for rural areas, with Telefonica and Orange. The post highlights the use of computer vision and network optimization models for planning millimeter-wave deployments and mentions collaborations with Nokia, Intel, and Radwin on Terragraph-certified solutions. It also discusses the expansion of mobile coverage in rural Peru with Telefonica and the development of machine learning-optimized population density maps for network planning.

11/20/2017

This post announces a collaboration with Airbus to advance spectrum and aviation policy for High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) systems. It highlights the importance of HAPS in augmenting terrestrial and satellite networks for broadband connectivity in rural regions and details ongoing efforts with the ITU and ICAO to facilitate spectrum identification and integration into global aviation infrastructure.

11/15/2017

This post announces the open-sourcing of Open/R, an extensible network routing platform used in Facebook's backbone and data center networks. It highlights Open/R's applicability across different network topologies (WANs, data center fabrics, wireless meshes) and its support for various hardware and software systems. Key features like automatic IP prefix allocation, RTT-based cost metrics, graceful restart, and fast convergence are mentioned. The post details its use in Terragraph, the Express Backbone, and data center fabrics, emphasizing its flexibility and extensibility for rapid innovation in network functions and applications. It also discusses the design principles for modern hardware and software environments, including robust testing and emulation frameworks.

10/26/2017

This post details the system architecture for Meta's Aquila program, a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) connectivity system. It outlines the key components: communication payloads, fleets of aircraft, fleet operations, gateways, fiber Points of Presence (PoP), cell base stations, and access points (APs). It also highlights the challenges related to affordability, technology limitations, and the need for industry and government collaboration to address regulatory and operational standards for HAPS deployment.

6/29/2017

This post details the successful second full-scale test flight of the Aquila aircraft, focusing on the technical modifications and data gathered. Key engineering contributions include the addition of 'spoilers' for landing control, integration of hundreds of sensors (strain gauges, IMUs) for structural and aerodynamic data collection, modifications to autopilot software, and improvements to the communication subsystem. The flight successfully gathered data on drag through 'trim shots' and verified the performance of new components, leading to a climb rate nearly twice that of the first flight. The landing mechanism, utilizing Kevlar pads and propeller stopping, was also tested, with one propeller failing to lock horizontally as intended. The data collected will be used to refine aerodynamic and structural models for optimizing battery and solar array size.

4/19/2017

This post details advancements in wireless data transfer records (36 Gbps over 13 km with millimeter-wave, 80 Gbps with optical cross-link) and ground-to-air data transfer (16 Gbps) by the Connectivity Lab. It also introduces the Tether-tenna for emergency connectivity and new Surround 360 camera designs (x24, x6) with six-degrees-of-freedom. The 360 Capture SDK is released to simplify VR experience capture and sharing. Improvements in 360 video encoding include a gravitational view-prediction model and content-dependent streaming. Caffe2, a deep learning framework, is open-sourced to facilitate AI development and training.

4/19/2017

This post details Meta's "building block" approach to connectivity, focusing on specific technologies for different use cases. It introduces Terragraph for dense urban areas, highlighting its wireless multi-node system and software for routing around obstructions. For rural regions, it discusses the Aquila UAV and advancements in millimeter-wave (MMW) technology, including record-breaking data rates (36 Gbps over 13 km, 80 Gbps with optical cross-links) and ground-to-air demonstrations. It also introduces Tether-tenna as an emergency rapid deployment solution.

3/8/2017

This post details the design and deployment of 100G single-mode optical transceivers within Meta's data centers. It highlights the challenges of upgrading to higher data rates, the decision to move to single-mode fiber for future-proofing, and the optimization of transceiver specifications (CWDM4-OCP) to reduce cost and power consumption. The post also discusses strategies for achieving scale on schedule by mitigating technology and deployment risks, and working with suppliers to ensure rapid production ramp-up. This contributes to the broader infrastructure evolution by addressing the critical need for high-bandwidth, efficient data center networking.

2/27/2017

This post details Meta's collaboration with Airtel Uganda and Bandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS) to build approximately 770km of fiber backhaul connectivity in northwest Uganda. This initiative aims to provide backhaul connectivity for over 3 million people, enable future cross-border connectivity, and reduce costs and increase capacity for mobile operators, supporting upgrades to 3G and 4G. The project emphasizes an open access and shared infrastructure framework, with the goal of scaling this model to other countries.

1/17/2017

This post details the technical implementation of supporting IPv4 traffic on an IPv6-only data center infrastructure. It describes modifications to Layer 4 (L4LB/shiv) and Layer 7 (L7LB/proxygen) load balancers, including the use of BGP with ExaBGP, IPv4 link-local addresses as BGP next-hops for IPv6-only servers, IP tunneling of IPv4 traffic within IPv6, the development of the gnlpy library for IPVS forwarding configuration via Netlink, and a custom kernel module for mixed-version IP tunnel decapsulation. It also covers the use of direct server return (DSR) for responses and the configuration of IPv4 default gateways and link-local addresses on servers.

12/16/2016

This post details the technical analysis of Aquila's first full-scale test flight, focusing on the structural failure during landing. It explains how unexpected wind conditions and autopilot behavior led to an airspeed exceeding structural tolerance, causing wing deformation. The post outlines specific engineering lessons learned, including the need for a drag device (spoiler/airbrake) and a revised autopilot priority to manage airspeed over altitude tracking. It also announces the design and construction of second-generation aircraft incorporating these fixes.

11/15/2016

This post details the creation and public release of high-resolution population datasets derived from satellite imagery using computer vision and convolutional neural networks. It explains the technical tradeoffs made in the model to achieve global scale and binary building detection, and the validation process with census data and household surveys. It also presents an analysis of the dataset using clustering algorithms to identify urbanized areas and determine population proximity to cities, which informs the design of communication technologies for expanding internet access.

11/10/2016

This post details the demonstration of a record data rate of nearly 20 Gbps over 13 km using millimeter-wave (MMW) technology. It highlights the development of custom-built, high-linearity RF components, high-efficiency power amplifiers using post-amplification spectrum multiplexing, and advanced antenna tracking techniques (sun tracking for bore-sight calibration and conical scanning for precision pointing). The post also discusses the technical challenges of MMW spectrum, including RF component technology, antenna design and tracking, and atmospheric attenuation, and outlines next steps for flight testing air-to-ground bidirectional links.

11/8/2016

Introduced Backpack, a second-generation modular open switch platform designed for 100G data centers. Backpack features a disaggregated architecture with switch elements, separation of data, control, and management planes, and an orthogonal direct chassis for improved signal integrity and thermal performance. It supports low-cost 55C optics and integrates with FBOSS and OpenBMC. The internal topology is a two-stage Clos, utilizing BGP for route distribution with fabric cards as route reflectors. The post details engineering validation, design validation, and production validation testing phases, including specific tests for functionality, traffic forwarding, failure recovery, performance, and route scale. It also highlights the integration of BGP monitoring with Scuba and the development of a FIB monitor for data plane visibility. Backpack is being deployed in production pods to meet growing traffic demands.

11/3/2016

Introduced the Community Cellular Manager (CCM) open-source project, a software management and deployment suite for operating small-scale cellular networks, designed for environments with unreliable power and backhaul. CCM consists of a client for local breakout and disconnected operation, and a cloud component for centralized management (subscriber management, billing, upgrading). It integrates with third-party radio network stacks (e.g., Osmocom) and provides local voice/SMS services with persistent storage and asynchronous communication. Deployed in the Philippines in partnership with Globe Telecom to provide cellular connectivity in rural areas.

11/1/2016

Introduced Open Packet DWDM, a packet transponder and open line transport system combining packet and DWDM technology for fiber optic transport networks. Developed Voyager, an industry-first "white box" transponder and routing solution based on Open Packet DWDM, leveraging data center technologies like Wedge 100's switch ASIC and Acacia Communications' DSP ASIC and optics module. Contributed Open Packet DWDM to the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) via the Backhaul: Open Optical Packet Transport (OOPT) project group to encourage open and programmable network architectures. Open-sourced Voyager software.

10/12/2016

This post details the partnership with Google and PLDC to build the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN), a new subsea cable spanning the Pacific. PLCN will have an initial design capacity of 120 Tbps and connect Los Angeles and Hong Kong, providing increased diversity and resiliency in the Pacific. A key technical innovation is the flexible commercial and technical approach that allows independence between the wet plant and optical technology, enabling parties to select optical equipment independently and facilitating equipment refreshes as optical technology improves. This agile approach is also being used for the MAREA trans-Atlantic subsea cable.

7/21/2016

This post details the first full-scale test flight of Aquila, a solar-powered aircraft designed to provide broadband internet access to underserved regions. It covers early lessons learned from the test flight, including the novel takeoff procedure without landing gear, verification of aerodynamic and power performance models against predictions, and the successful performance of the autopilot system at low altitude. The post also highlights the collection of data on structural viability and response to real-world conditions, including a structural failure just before landing, which will inform future development and testing phases.

7/19/2016

Introduced a new type of optical detector for free-space laser communication that uses plastic optical fibers doped with organic dye molecules. This luminescent detector has a large active area (126 cm²) and a large field of view without sacrificing speed, enabling gigabit per second data rates (demonstrated >2 Gbps) with simpler designs and reduced alignment precision requirements compared to traditional semiconductor photodiodes. This technology aims to provide low-cost, rapidly deployable optical point-to-point links for connecting underserved populations.

7/6/2016

This post introduces OpenCellular, an open-source, cost-effective, software-defined wireless access platform designed to improve connectivity in remote areas. It details the platform's modular design, supporting 2G to LTE and Wi-Fi, and its two main subsystems: General-Baseband Computing (GBC) with integrated power and housekeeping, and a Radio Frequency (RF) subsystem with an integrated analog front-end, supporting software-defined radio (SDR) or system-on-chip (SoC) options. The post also describes the exterior industrial and mechanical design for rugged environments and the software elements based on an open-source, real-time operating system. Testing in labs has confirmed SMS, voice calls, and basic data connectivity with a 2G implementation. The platform is intended to be open-sourced, fostering community development and deployment.

6/17/2016

This post details the growth of the community around Meta's disaggregated networking hardware (Wedge and Wedge 100) and software (FBOSS). It highlights contributions from AT&T Foundry (TORC, running Docker/Mesos on Wedge), SK Telecom (porting Indigo/OpenFlow and investigating OpenSwitch), Canonical (MAAS/Snappy Ubuntu Core for managing Wedge as a server), and SnapRoute (contributing FlexSwitch, an open-source L2/L3 networking stack). The post emphasizes the increasing adoption and development on Wedge platforms, driven by the open hardware and software building blocks.

5/24/2016

This post details presentations from the Networking @Scale 2016 conference, highlighting advancements in large-scale networking. Key contributions include Facebook's deep dives into Terragraph (a 60 GHz wireless system for urban connectivity) and Open/R (a modular routing platform), as well as their experiences scaling Facebook Live with techniques like request coalescing and adaptive bit rate encoding. The post also covers Microsoft's PingMesh and NetBouncer for data center network monitoring, Google's iterations on its B4 SDN WAN, AT&T's use of EVPN for network scaling, Netflix's EVCache for global data caching, and JPL's unique networking challenges for Mars rovers. Day 2 focused on IPv6, with Facebook sharing experiences converting its backbone and data centers to IPv6 and advocating for IPv6-only network support.

5/10/2016

Introduced Open/R, a custom-built, extensible distributed network application platform. Open/R was initially designed as a shortest-path routing system for Terragraph, a multi-node wireless network for urban internet connectivity. Its modular design allows for additional applications beyond basic routing, and it has been adapted for other networking infrastructure. Open/R enables faster prototyping and deployment of new network applications compared to industry standards, contributing to improved speed, efficiency, and quality of internet connectivity. The platform leverages Thrift for message encoding and ZeroMQ for message exchange, with components like KV-STORE, LINK MONITOR, DECISION (using Dijkstra SPF and computing loop-free alternatives), and FIB (interacting with routing hardware via FibAdapter and FibAgent). It also incorporates fast failure recovery mechanisms and has been tested to scale to networks with thousands of nodes. The company plans to contribute Open/R to the open source community and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP).

4/13/2016

Introduced Terragraph, a 60 GHz multi-node wireless system for dense urban areas, leveraging WiGig standard components, unlicensed spectrum, and a phase array antenna for steerable directional communication. It incorporates IPv6-only nodes, an SDN-like cloud compute controller, and a modular routing protocol, with a re-architected MAC layer using TDMA-TDD for improved network efficiency and TCP/IP predictability. Also introduced Project ARIES, a proof-of-concept for spectrally and energy-efficient wireless communication using Massive MIMO with a 96-antenna array, demonstrating high spectral efficiency (71 bps/Hz) and aiming for 100+ bps/Hz, with a focus on rural connectivity and potential for beyond-4G deployments.

3/9/2016

This post details the architecture and engineering decisions behind Facebook Lite, a version of Facebook optimized for emerging markets with low-bandwidth networks and low-spec Android devices. Key technical contributions include a proxy server architecture with a thin client VM, a custom message protocol over TLS to minimize data usage and improve performance on 2G networks, dynamic shared dictionary compression, LZMA2 and DEFLATE compression, image optimization by serving exact-size images from a dedicated server, and a diff mechanism for sending incremental updates. The design also prioritizes minimizing CPU, storage, and RAM usage on the client to ensure compatibility with older devices like Gingerbread-era phones.

3/8/2016

This post details the custom design of a two-axis gimbal for air-to-air and air-to-ground laser communications, a critical component for the Connectivity Lab's efforts to provide internet access via UAVs. The design focuses on swiveling capability, lightweight construction (3.5 kg using carbon fiber and magnesium composite), and aerodynamic efficiency, resulting in a gimbal that is at least two times lighter than existing technology. It explores various configurations, including spherical and elongated elevation over azimuth designs, and highlights the modularity of the optical bench and Coude path for different mission requirements.

2/22/2016

This post announces the formation of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an engineering-focused initiative to develop next-generation open components and reimagine telecom network infrastructure. It highlights the need for collaboration to address the challenges of increasing global connectivity and the limitations of monolithic, costly network deployments. TIP aims to accelerate innovation by working in the open, focusing on interoperable software systems and components for access, backhaul, and core networks. The post also draws parallels to the success of the Open Compute Project (OCP) and discusses advancements in data center optical networking, the benefits of network disaggregation, and the adoption of IPv6. Initial TIP focus areas include access, backhaul, and core/management, with planned contributions for reference designs of network-in-a-box hardware and software, and a software solution for wireless backhaul.

2/22/2016

This post details the application of computer vision techniques, specifically deep convolutional neural networks and weakly supervised neural networks, to analyze satellite imagery for identifying human-built structures. This analysis, combined with census data, enabled the creation of a 5-meter resolution population dataset for 20 countries, crucial for planning wireless communication technologies and backhaul networks for connecting underserved regions. The post highlights the challenges of processing billions of images and training models on unbalanced datasets, as well as the infrastructure required for large-scale analysis.

11/19/2015

This post details the introduction and scaling of Wedge, a disaggregated top-of-rack network switch, and FBOSS, its Linux-based control software. It covers the engineering effort behind Wedge's open hardware design, the operationalization of Wedge and FBOSS through custom deployment tools (fbossdeploy) and monitoring strategies, the lessons learned from treating switches like servers (managing service infrastructure rollouts and avoiding circular dependencies), and CPU protection mechanisms to prevent control plane overload. It also looks ahead to Wedge 100 and the 6-pack aggregation switch.

11/3/2015

This post details the progress and future plans of the OCP Networking Project, co-led by Facebook. It highlights the evolution of open hardware and software in networking, from initial concepts to adopted specifications and products like FBOSS and OpenBMC. The project's goal is to increase innovation by encouraging network disaggregation and the development of open source hardware and software, contributing to the broader goal of improving internet infrastructure and access.

10/27/2015

This post introduces '2G Tuesdays,' an internal initiative to simulate 2G network conditions for employees. This aims to foster empathy and understanding of user experiences in emerging markets, complementing existing tools like Connection Class and Augmented Traffic Control by focusing on product decision-making and user pain points on low-bandwidth networks.

10/5/2015

This post details Meta's "upstream-first" philosophy for contributing to the Linux kernel, focusing on improving storage and networking stacks. Key contributions include enhancements to blk-mq for block storage performance, stabilization of Btrfs for production data protection, implementation of the New Vegas congestion control algorithm, writeback support for cgroups for fine-grained IO limiting, advancements in network virtualization (GUE, IPv6 flow label, ILA), IPv6 performance improvements by scaling the routing tree, and a caching layer for RAID 5/6 to address the write hole and improve performance. The post also highlights progress in release engineering for faster kernel deployments.

9/14/2015

This post details Meta's migration to IPv6, highlighting its technical benefits such as easier network management, end-to-end connectivity integrity, and improved interoperability. It reports a 10-15% performance improvement for accessing Facebook over IPv6 and advocates for broader adoption due to the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses.

7/30/2015

This post details the development and initial milestones of the Aquila aircraft, a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV designed for stratospheric internet connectivity. It describes Aquila's solar-powered design, its ability to stay airborne for up to 90 days, and its 50-km communications radius. Technical details include its large, lightweight construction with a carbon fiber monocoque wing, its flight altitude range (60,000-90,000 feet), and the optimization of its wing design for lift-to-drag ratio. The post also highlights advancements in free space laser communications, achieving data rates of tens of Gbps through optical transceivers that leverage technologies from Facebook's data centers.

3/27/2015

This post announces the first test flight of Meta's large UAV platform, a significant milestone in their efforts to provide internet connectivity to remote communities. It also highlights ongoing work with satellites, cost-effective base stations, and free-space optics as part of their broader connectivity initiatives.

6/19/2014

This post details significant efforts to improve the Facebook Android app's performance, data efficiency, networking, and application size, specifically targeting users in emerging markets with limited bandwidth and device capabilities. Key contributions include optimizing app startup times, reducing image data usage through WebP and adaptive resolution loading, adopting OkHttp for improved networking, and reducing app size by leveraging Google Play's multi-APK feature. These improvements directly support the goal of connecting the next five billion users by making Facebook more accessible and usable on a wider range of devices and network conditions.

6/18/2014

This post introduces 'Wedge,' a disaggregated top-of-rack network switch, and 'FBOSS,' a Linux-based operating system for it. These innovations aim to make network infrastructure more flexible, scalable, and efficient by separating hardware from software, mirroring the disaggregation principles applied to servers and storage through the Open Compute Project. This represents a significant step in building more modular and controllable network components, aligning with the broader goal of expanding internet access through robust and adaptable infrastructure.

3/27/2014

Announces the formation of the Connectivity Lab at Facebook, a team dedicated to developing new aerospace and communication technologies to advance the Internet.org mission of improving and extending internet access. The lab will focus on new delivery platforms, including planes and satellites.