Candle will deploy 24 fiber pairs, above the typical 16–20 fiber pairs seen in most systems, to deliver higher capacity and lower latency across Asia. The system will provide new redundancy and diversity in response to surging data demand from 5G and generative AI. SoftBank, Meta, and regional partners are building a new 8,000 km submarine cable system called Candle to link Japan and Singapore with landings in Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. NEC has been contracted. Meta, SoftBank Corp.