How Knowing the Backbone of the Internet Helps

Submarine cables, or undersea cables, are the internet’s invisible backbone, supporting international data transfer at lightning-fast speeds. The cables are buried on the ocean floor between shore stations, allowing global communication by linking continents, nations, and networks. With cloud computing, video conferencing, and social media ruling our online lives, these fiber-optic wonders carry almost 99% of all international data traffic.

How Do They Work?

Undersea cables are usually as narrow as a garden hose and filled with bundles of fiber-optic strands, each of which can transmit enormous quantities of information through bursts of light. They extend thousands of kilometers, sometimes covering entire oceans, and are deployed by specially equipped ships that position them on the ocean floor with great care. To shield them from harm, they are encased in protective layers and, in shallower waters, are buried under the seabed.

India’s Subsea Cable Ecosystem

India, the world’s second-largest digital market, is slowly building out its subsea cable network. Airtel’s 2Africa Pearls cable, funded by Meta, was recently landed in India. The cable alone adds a capacity of 100 terabits per second (Tbps), greatly boosting India’s connectivity to the rest of the world. Earlier this year, the SEA-ME-WE-6 (Southeast Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 6) cable system was also landed at Chennai and Mumbai landing points, further boosting the international bandwidth pipeline.

Despite such developments, India lags behind smaller countries like Singapore in the number of cable landings. Singapore, which is a small city-state, has more subsea cables than the entire country of India, and it serves as a regional internet connectivity hub. This is not just an indicator of infrastructure planning differences but also geopolitical positioning and ease of doing business.

Challenges in Laying Cables in India

India’s subsea cable ecosystem is plagued by a variety of issues:

1. Regulatory Hurdles: Complicated clearance procedures and prolonged periods to get permits from different government departments can extend project timelines.
2. High Costs and Bureaucracy: Cable laying requires coordination across multiple ministries and departments, raising costs and lowering investor confidence.
3. Lack of Incentives: There is minimal policy support or government financial incentives to get cable operators or technology companies to land cables in India.
4. Geopolitical Issues: With rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, businesses might be reluctant to invest in long-term ventures without strategic guarantees.

Why India Is Vulnerable to Disruptions

Having few landing points and cable paths, India is at greater risk of disruption by natural disasters, unintentional cuts by fishing or shipping, or possible sabotage. One cable cut in the Mumbai or Chennai area can seriously impair internet performance throughout the country, particularly if there are no alternative paths available. Nations with redundant cable landings at several locations have more robust systems and can reroute traffic in a short time during outages.

Additionally, as India increasingly becomes digitally reliant—growing in terms of AI, fintech, cloud computing, and e-governance—the necessity for high-quality international bandwidth takes center stage. Undersea connectivity failure would affect everything from banking transactions to national security.

The Way Forward

In order to strengthen its digital infrastructure, India requires a clear national policy on subsea cable investments and collaborations. Suggestions are key here:

• Simplifying Regulatory Clearances: Institute a single-window clearance process for quicker and easier deployment.
• Fostering Incentives: Grant tax concessions or financial incentives to firms making investment in new cable landings.
• Public-Private Partnership: Invite domestic and foreign telecommunications companies, cloud operators, and technology giants to partner with government entities.
• Establishing Redundancy: Ensure redundancy in cable networks so that there can be alternate routes in case of disruption.
• Strengthening Security Measures: Enforce strong surveillance and protection on current cable systems, particularly around coastal landing points.

Conclusion

Undersea cables might be out of sight, but they are at the heart of our everyday digital existence. As India seeks to become a global digital superpower, its dependence on strong, secure, and extensive subsea cable infrastructure will only increase. Strategic planning, investment, and international cooperation are necessary to ensure India does not fall behind in the digital connectivity race. Meeting Singapore’s pace would not only protect India’s internet future but also make it an even more dominant central node in the global internet architecture.