India's Growing Undersea Cable Network

India’s undersea cable network is expanding rapidly, driven by growing data usage and geopolitical considerations. The country is set to launch two new major undersea cable systems, the India Asia Xpress (IAX) and the India Europe Xpress (IEX), which will further bolster India’s global internet connectivity and strategic importance in the digital world.

Key Details of the New Cable Systems:

• India Asia Xpress (IAX): It will connect Chennai and Mumbai with Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia in Asia. It is owned by Reliance Jio, with a strategic investment from China Mobile.
• India Europe Xpress (IEX): It will connect Chennai and Mumbai with France, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Djibouti. It is aimed at improving India's connectivity with Europe and the Middle East.
• These two systems are 15,000 km long combined, and will add to the dozens of other undersea cables that land in India, mainly in Mumbai and Chennai.
• These expansions are not only about handling growing internet traffic but also reflect India’s increasing geopolitical ambition in the realm of undersea cable networks.

Significance of the undersea cable network

• A subsea or submarine cable is a fiber-optic cable laid in the ocean, connecting two or more landing points.
• The expansion of India’s undersea cable network comes at a time when submarine cable security is becoming a global concern.
• The new cables will help strengthen India’s defense strategy by ensuring the resilience of these cables against:
  • Physical damage (e.g., natural disasters, sabotage).
  • Cyberattacks from state or non-state actors.
• India’s growing role as a maritime cable network player is expected to focus on key areas like the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea, where cable networks are vulnerable. India’s proactive involvement in these regions is anticipated to have significant geopolitical implications.
• Given India’s growing dependence on digital connectivity, submarine cables have become indispensable for its international communications.
• The country is connected globally through multiple submarine cable systems, such as the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe (SEA-ME-WE) system, the Bay of Bengal Gateway (BBG) system, and the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) system.
• Choke Points and Vulnerabilities: The issue of choke points in global submarine cable networks is another concern.
  • For example, all cables from Mumbai and Chennai to Singapore pass through the Malacca Strait, which poses a risk if there were to be a major incident there, potentially disrupting all four cables simultaneously.
  • To mitigate this, there are discussions around exploring alternative routes, like connecting India and Singapore by passing the Malacca Strait. However, such a solution is still in development.