{"id":45654,"date":"2025-04-04T09:23:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T03:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=45654"},"modified":"2025-05-07T19:47:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:17:32","slug":"bolstering-indias-undersea-cable-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/bolstering-indias-undersea-cable-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"Bolstering India&#8217;s Undersea Cable Infrastructure: Importance, Risks and Measures for Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India Subsea Cable Infrastructure Latest News<\/li>\n<li>About Undersea Cables<\/li>\n<li>India\u2019s Undersea Cable Hubs<\/li>\n<li>Risks Surrounding Undersea Cable Deployment in India<\/li>\n<li>Measures to Strengthen India\u2019s Subsea Cable Infrastructure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India Subsea Cable Infrastructure Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India is expanding its international internet bandwidth with new cable landing systems. The latest is <strong>Airtel\u2019s 2Africa Pearls system<\/strong>, backed by Meta, adding 100 terabits per second of capacity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Earlier in the year, the SEA-ME-WE-6 cable also landed in Chennai and Mumbai, further boosting connectivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>About Undersea Cables<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Undersea cables are the backbone of global internet connectivity.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>They link internet service providers and telecom operators across countries, enabling fast and reliable data transmission worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Structure and Functionality<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>These cables are just a few inches thick but heavily protected to survive harsh sea environments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Inside, they contain fiber optic strands that carry vast amounts of data at high speeds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Landing Points and Stations<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Undersea cables come ashore at designated \u201clanding points\u201d \u2014 typically manholes buried under sand.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>From there, they connect to \u201clanding stations\u201d inland, where they integrate with major networks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Critical Role in the Modern World<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>According to experts, undersea cables handle: 90% of global data; 80% of world trade; $10 trillion in financial transactions, and secure government communications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Data Capacity<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Modern cables offer several hundred gigabits per second of capacity, serving thousands of telecom users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Connection to Terrestrial Networks<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Once on land, undersea cables link to terrestrial networks \u2014 a web of less-visible infrastructure like towers and cables \u2014 that deliver internet to homes and businesses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India\u2019s Undersea Cable Hubs<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India has two major undersea cable landing hubs \u2014 Mumbai and Chennai.<\/li>\n<li>Mumbai handles 95% of subsea cable traffic, mostly through a six-kilometre stretch in Versova. Many cables that land in Chennai also connect to Mumbai.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Current Cable Infrastructure<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>17 international cable systems currently land in India.<\/li>\n<li>India also has two domestic cable projects:\n<ul>\n<li>CANI (Chennai\u2013Andaman and Nicobar Islands)<\/li>\n<li>Kochi\u2013Lakshadweep Islands project<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Planning and Cost<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Undersea cable projects are capital-intensive and time-consuming, taking months or years to plan and execute, and costing millions of dollars.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>India\u2019s Capacity<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>India holds only <strong>1% of global cable landing stations<\/strong> and <strong>3% of subsea cable systems.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>For now, existing infrastructure meets demand, and most traffic is handled by current capacity.<\/li>\n<li>However, experts warn of future shortfalls due to rapidly increasing data usage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Risks Surrounding Undersea Cable Deployment in India<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Vulnerability to Cable Cuts at Sea<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s internet infrastructure is highly dependent on undersea cables, with more cables landing in Singapore than in India, making the country vulnerable to disruptions at sea.<\/li>\n<li>A disruption in critical areas like the Red Sea could bring down 25% of India\u2019s internet connectivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Impact of Cable Cuts in the Red Sea<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>In 2024, subsea cable cuts in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait (due to strikes by Houthi rebels) caused temporary issues.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>These cuts did not significantly destabilize India\u2019s internet due to excess capacity in other networks, but a larger disruption could have a severe impact.<\/li>\n<li>Large-scale damage to multiple cables in the region could cause significant internet outages, with limited ability to reroute data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Historical Dependence on Shipping Routes<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Subsea cables have traditionally followed shipping trade routes, as these routes made it easier to lay down cables.<\/li>\n<li>This alignment makes India\u2019s internet infrastructure susceptible to risks from disruptions in these maritime trade corridors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Measures to Strengthen India\u2019s Subsea Cable Infrastructure<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Streamlining Regulatory Processes<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Companies face delays due to excessive permissions required for landing subsea cables in India.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Currently, around 51 different approvals are needed, spanning various departments like the Department of Telecom, Home Ministry, Environment Ministry, and local municipalities.<\/li>\n<li>Simplifying and streamlining these regulatory procedures would reduce delays and improve the ease of laying subsea cables.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhancing Cable Security<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Securing subsea cables is a significant concern, as fishing trawlers frequently damage cables, disrupting services.<\/li>\n<li>Better security measures and monitoring systems need to be implemented to protect these critical infrastructures from physical damage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Building Domestic Repair Capabilities<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India currently depends on foreign repair vessels for fixing damaged subsea cables, which involves long approval processes.<\/li>\n<li>There is a need for increased domestic investment in subsea cable repair vessels and cable storage depots to expedite repair work and reduce dependency on foreign resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India Subsea Cable Infrastructure FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What role do undersea cables play in global connectivity?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Undersea cables handle 90% of global data, 80% of trade, and $10 trillion in financial transactions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> What are India&#8217;s key subsea cable hubs?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> India\u2019s main subsea cable hubs are Mumbai and Chennai, with Mumbai handling 95% of the traffic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> Why is India vulnerable to subsea cable disruptions?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> India relies on cables landing in Singapore and other areas, leaving it vulnerable to global disruptions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> How can India&#8217;s subsea cable infrastructure be improved?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> By streamlining regulatory processes, enhancing cable security, and building domestic repair capabilities for cables.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> What caused the subsea cable disruption in the Red Sea in 2024?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The disruption was due to attacks by Houthi rebels in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, affecting India\u2019s connectivity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/technology\/why-are-undersea-cables-important-explained\/article69408007.ece#:~:text=Undersea%20cables%20are%20the%20main,environment%20of%20the%20sea%20floor.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unclosdebate.org\/argument\/861\/underseas-cables-are-vital-global-economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UNCLOS<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore India&#8217;s expanding subsea cable infrastructure, key risks, and measures to enhance security and reliability in global connectivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45655,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45654","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}