Growing Importance of Undersea Cables for India

PWOnlyIAS

April 04, 2025

Growing Importance of Undersea Cables for India

India is witnessing the launch of new undersea cable landing systems, including Airtel’s 2Africa Pearls and SEA-ME-WE-6, boosting international internet bandwidth.

  • Despite progress, India’s undersea cable infrastructure still lags behind smaller nations like Singapore, making it vulnerable to disruptions.

What are Undersea Cables?

Undersea Cables

  • Undersea cables are fiber optic cables laid on the ocean floor that connect internet networks between countries.
  • Purpose: These cables carry the majority of global internet data, enabling communication and financial transactions across borders.
  • Structure and Landing: These cables are heavily insulated and contain fiber optic strands for transmitting data.
    • These cables surface at landing points, which connect to landing stations inland and then to broader terrestrial networks.
  • Global network: Approximately 600 undersea cables exist globally.
  • Economic Significance: They handle 90% of data, 80% of global trade, and $10 trillion in financial transactions.

India’s Current Undersea Cable Ecosystem

  • Cable Landing Sites: India’s two main hubs for subsea cables are Mumbai and Chennai.
    • Around 17 international cables land in India, with 95% of subsea cables concentrated in a 6-km stretch in Versova, Mumbai.
  • Domestic Connectivity: India has two domestic cable systems:
    • Chennai–Andaman–Nicobar Islands (CANI)
    • Kochi–Lakshadweep Islands
  • Capacity Concerns: While current bandwidth is considered sufficient, rising data traffic may soon outpace available capacity.
    • Experts warn that India’s capacity may become inadequate in the near future.
  • Global Comparison: India contributes only 1% of global cable landing stations and 3% of subsea cable systems, highlighting an underrepresentation in the global network.

Challenges in Undersea Cable Deployment in India

  • Vulnerability to Disruptions: India is at high risk from subsea cable cuts, especially at chokepoints like the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
    • Past disruptions caused by regional conflicts, such as Houthi attacks in 2024, affected multiple cables passing through this narrow sea route.
  • Overreliance on Few Routes: Many subsea cables follow traditional shipping/trade routes, limiting redundancy and increasing the risk of large-scale outages.
    • A disruption in these routes can cause 25% of India’s internet to go down, according to industry estimates.
  • Regulatory and Logistical Bottlenecks: Laying a subsea cable in India requires around 51 permissions from various departments, including, Department of Telecom, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Department of Fisheries, Local authorities and municipalities, etc
  • Time-Consuming Processes: Companies like Meta highlight that 80% of project time is spent dealing with regulations in territorial waters at both ends of the cable.
  • Infrastructure and Maintenance Issues: Lack of Domestic Repair Capabilities in India, it currently relies on foreign ships to repair damaged subsea cables, which requires multiple permissions and delays.
    • There is an absence of domestic repair ships and cable storage depots, making the system vulnerable to prolonged outages.
  • Cable Damage from Trawlers: Fishing activities, particularly trawlers, frequently damage undersea cables, further complicating maintenance efforts.

Recommendations to Improve India’s Subsea Cable Infrastructure

  • Streamline Regulatory Approvals: Reduce the number of required permissions for cable deployment to expedite implementation.
  • Develop Domestic Cable Repair Infrastructure: Invest in indigenous repair vessels and cable storage depots to ensure quick response to damage.
  • Diversify Cable Route: Explore alternative and secure subsea routes that do not solely follow traditional trade corridors.
  • Increase Landing Stations and Cable Systems: Expand the number of landing sites beyond Mumbai and Chennai to distribute risk and enhance resilience.
  • Build Redundant Capacity: Plan and invest in excess capacity and backup routes to handle sudden surges or outages.

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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