India’s digital infrastructure is on the verge of a revolutionary transformation, with three significant undersea cable projects expected to go live between October 2024 and March 2025.
Undersea or submarine communications cables are fibre-optic cables placed on the ocean floor to transmit data between continents. They form the backbone of the global internet, handling most international communications.
These projects — 2Africa Pearls, India-Asia-Express (IAX), and India-Europe-Express (IEX) — are projected to enhance India’s internet capacity by more than four times, ensuring faster and more reliable digital connectivity.
The 2Africa Pearls project is one of the longest subsea cable systems globally, stretching over 45,000 km and supported by investments from major players like Bharti Airtel and Meta (formerly Facebook).
This massive cable network, with a data transmission capacity of 180 terabits per second (tbps), will connect 33 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, with Airtel’s Mumbai landing station serving as a key node, reports Economic Times.
In addition, the India-Asia-Express (IAX) and India-Europe-Express (IEX) cables are poised to further boost India’s connectivity. Backed by Reliance Jio, these systems will add over 200 tbps of capacity each.
The IAX cable will span more than 16,000 km, connecting Mumbai to key hubs in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. Similarly, the IEX cable will cover approximately 9,775 km, linking India with Europe via the Persian Gulf.
Significance of the projects
The significance of these projects goes far beyond simply increasing data capacity. India’s current subsea cable infrastructure includes 17 international cables landing at 14 distinct stations across five cities.
As of 2023, this network had a cumulative capacity of 138.55 tbps, with 111.11 tbps actively in use, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The addition of the new cables is expected to greatly expand this capacity, opening up new opportunities for commercial and consumer internet services.
The boost in internet capacity is expected to significantly improve the quality of services, especially for high-demand applications such as 5G video streaming, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, AI-based services, and cloud computing.
This will help India strengthen its position as a leading hub for digital innovation and attract significant investments from global data centre operators, further fuelling the country’s digital economy.
Submarine Cables and Global Connectivity
Submarine cables are critical to the functioning of the global internet and digital services. These underwater fibre-optic cables carry more than 95 per cent of the world’s international data, enabling everything from streaming video and financial transactions to government communications and the secure transfer of diplomatic intelligence.
Currently, there are about 600 active and planned subsea cables worldwide, stretching over 1.4 million km, each with an average lifespan of 25 years.
The subsea cable industry is experiencing a significant resurgence, with 107 new cables constructed between 2016 and 2020, totalling $13.8 billion in value. Additionally, investments of $18 billion are projected for subsea cables from 2021 to 2025.
These cables are significantly more efficient and cost-effective than satellites, which is why they play such a pivotal role in global telecommunications. They are known as the world’s information superhighways.
For example, a major international bank moves an average of $3.9 trillion through these cable systems every workday, underscoring the immense importance of these networks for the global economy.
Submarine cables also enable innovation and growth in various sectors by facilitating high-speed internet access, which in turn supports economic development, boosts employment, and lowers barriers to international trade.
Subsea Challenges
The deployment of undersea cables is a complex and challenging process. In March 2023, the rollout of the IAX and IEX projects faced delays due to disruptions in the Red Sea caused by attacks on subsea infrastructure by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.
Fifteen major subsea cables were damaged, leading to global internet outages. These attacks further complicated by the instability in Yemen, were a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in global telecommunications infrastructure.
As a result, insurance companies temporarily withdrew coverage for cable-laying ships, delaying the projects by several months. However, testing is now live in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, and the cables are back on track to be commissioned by late 2024 or early 2025.
Undersea cables are expected to remain the primary conduit for most of the world’s internet traffic for the foreseeable future. However, combining undersea cables with satellite technology could offer added resilience and protection against potential cable disruptions.
To conclude, as the world becomes increasingly interconnected, India’s enhanced digital infrastructure will be crucial for the country’s continued economic development, technological innovation, and international competitiveness.