India is poised for a monumental leap in digital infrastructure, with three major undersea cable projects set to revolutionise the country’s internet capacity by early 2025. These initiatives—2Africa Pearls, India-Asia-Express (IAX), and India-Europe-Express (IEX)—promise to increase India’s data transmission capabilities by over four times, delivering faster and more reliable global connectivity.
Undersea cables, critical to international communications, are fibre-optic networks laid on the ocean floor that link continents. They constitute the backbone of global internet infrastructure, handling the bulk of transcontinental data traffic. The 2Africa Pearls project, spearheaded by significant stakeholders including Bharti Airtel and Meta (formerly Facebook), stands out as one of the world’s most extensive subsea cable systems. Spanning approximately 45,000 kilometres, this network will connect 33 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. With a remarkable data transmission capacity of 180 terabits per second (tbps), it will feature Airtel’s Mumbai landing station as a crucial hub, bolstering India’s connectivity with regions spanning the Indian Ocean.
Complementing this, the India-Asia-Express (IAX) and India-Europe-Express (IEX) cables will further enhance India’s digital landscape. The IAX cable, supported by Reliance Jio, will extend over 16,000 kilometres, linking Mumbai with key Southeast Asian destinations such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. This expansion will significantly bolster India’s digital links to the region. Similarly, the IEX cable will cover approximately 9,775 kilometres, establishing a crucial link between India and Europe via the Persian Gulf, thus amplifying India’s presence in the European digital arena. These projects collectively represent a transformative upgrade for India’s digital infrastructure, positioning the country for substantial growth in data handling and connectivity. The completion of these cables will not only enhance international communications but also drive digital innovation and economic development within India, paving the way for more robust and efficient global digital interactions.
