India’s Digital Surge Rests on a Dangerous Undersea Cable Bottleneck

A six kilometre stretch carries most of India’s western data traffic

India’s fast growing digital economy depends on a surprisingly narrow piece of infrastructure. Around Versova, a densely populated neighbourhood on Mumbai’s Arabian Sea coast, at least 13 of the country’s 18 intercontinental submarine cables come ashore within roughly six kilometres of one another.

Together, these cables carry as much as 95% of India’s international bandwidth to Europe, Africa and West Asia. The concentration has turned one coastal zone into a major gateway for banking, cloud computing, government communications, online services and international business.

Submarine cables are bundles of optical fibres laid across the seabed. They transmit information as pulses of light and carry about 99% of global communications traffic. Although satellites receive much of the public attention, cables are the hidden highways that make high volume internet use affordable and fast.

Anwesha Sen of the Takshashila Institution says the clustering leaves India exposed to a single geographic point of failure.

This network faces a critical vulnerability due to severe geographic concentration. If several of those cables were cut simultaneously, either accidentally or deliberately, a bulk of India’s westward bandwidth to West Asia, Africa and Europe would be impacted.

A cable break would not necessarily disconnect the country from the global internet. Networks are designed to reroute traffic through other landing points, including Chennai and Kochi. The disruption could still be costly. Longer routes and congested alternatives can increase the time required for data to travel, a delay known as latency. Even small increases can affect stock trading, digital payments, cloud applications and artificial intelligence workloads.

Why a slowdown could matter as much as a blackout

Modern online services are built around constant, rapid exchanges of data. Banks use international connections to process transactions and communicate with overseas systems. Stock exchanges rely on precise timing. Cloud companies move data between servers, customers and backup locations. Government networks depend on stable links for administration and public services.

Artificial intelligence adds another layer of pressure. Training large models involves moving huge datasets between data centres, while AI applications often need quick exchanges between computing hubs and users. A damaged cable route could force this traffic onto longer paths, reducing performance or increasing operating costs.

India’s internet use has grown at a remarkable pace, helped by cheap mobile data, widespread smartphone adoption and expanding digital services. By late 2025, the country had more than one billion broadband subscribers. It consumes roughly one fifth of the world’s data, according to industry figures, yet it is connected to only about 3% of global submarine cable systems.

The gap reveals a basic imbalance. India is becoming a major consumer and producer of digital services without having a comparable share of the physical links that connect it to other markets.

Aruna Sundararajan, chairperson of the Broadband India Forum, says India must expand its coastal gateways by several times. Cable landing stations are facilities where international cables connect with terrestrial fibre networks, data centres and telecom operators. They determine where global capacity enters the country and how easily it can be distributed inland.

Ageing cables add another layer of risk

Geographic concentration is only one concern. A paper from the Takshashila Institution found that 11 of India’s 18 international cables are more than 20 years old. Submarine systems are commonly designed for an operating life of about 25 years, although individual systems may continue working beyond that period with maintenance and upgrades.

Amajit Gupta, group chief executive and managing director of digital infrastructure company Lightstorm, describes the age of India’s landing cables as a legitimate area of concern. Older equipment can become more expensive to maintain and may offer less capacity than newer systems built for today’s data demand.

Cable faults are far more common than deliberate attacks. Across the world, an estimated 150 to 200 faults occur each year. Fishing activity, ship anchors, underwater landslides, storms and equipment failures account for most incidents. Deliberate interference remains a concern, especially where cables gather near shore, yet routine maritime activity creates the more frequent danger.

The Red Sea disruptions showed how a regional problem can affect international networks. When cables in the region were damaged, some traffic was redirected east through Singapore before continuing toward the United States. Rerouting protected connectivity, although it also created longer paths and pressure on alternative routes.

India’s exposure to routes around the Red Sea makes diversification especially valuable. More landing points on the eastern and western coasts would give operators additional choices when one corridor is damaged or congested.

India has no domestic cable repair vessel

Repair capacity is one of the country’s sharpest weaknesses. India does not currently have a dedicated domestic submarine cable repair ship. When a cable breaks in Indian waters, a vessel must usually be brought from abroad, often from Dubai or Singapore, and then receive permission to operate in Indian waters.

The process can add weeks to a repair operation. The delay does not begin when technicians reach the damaged cable. Operators first need to identify the fault, assign a suitable vessel, arrange equipment and secure the required licences. Weather and sea conditions can extend the timetable further.

Sen says foreign repair ships and the licensing process create a recurring vulnerability. Gupta argues that the main problem is less the ability to reroute traffic than the lack of local repair capacity.

Every cable fault in Indian waters depends on foreign repair ships from Dubai or Singapore. Once a foreign ship is assigned, it must obtain licences to operate in Indian waters, adding weeks to an already lengthy process.

A domestic repair vessel would not remove every delay. It could, however, give India faster access to specialist crews and equipment during emergencies. A wider regional arrangement involving repair ships, spare cable, trained crews and pre approved procedures could also reduce downtime.

Data centres are growing faster than cable planning

India is building the computing capacity needed for cloud services and AI. Government figures show installed data centre capacity rising from about 375 megawatts in 2020 to roughly 1,575 megawatts today. Industry estimates suggest capacity could pass 4.5 gigawatts by 2030.

Data centres consume large amounts of electricity and require reliable networks to exchange information with users, content platforms and other facilities. A new centre can be ready to operate before the international cable capacity needed to serve it has been added.

Submarine cable projects move slowly. Planning can take three to four years, followed by as much as two years for cable manufacture and installation, depending on the route. This creates a timing problem for a country whose AI and cloud investments are advancing quickly.

Sundararajan says cable capacity needs to be planned alongside data centre development instead of being added later. Gupta makes a similar argument, saying the industry must stay ahead of demand rather than wait for congestion to appear.

The issue also extends beyond the cable itself. International capacity must connect to inland fibre routes, power infrastructure and data centres. A landing station in a remote area has limited value if terrestrial links cannot carry its traffic to major computing and commercial centres.

Why approvals can take years

India’s technical capability is not the only issue. Submarine cable projects can require approval from agencies responsible for telecommunications, defence, internal security, shipping, ports, the environment and state administration.

Sundararajan says as many as 16 agencies may be involved, while a single landing station can require around 50 clearances across at least 16 ministries. Companies may face separate processes for construction, marine surveys, cable installation, operations, maintenance and repair vessels.

That fragmented process can discourage investment and make emergency repairs slower. It can also make it difficult for companies to choose new landing sites, since each location may require a fresh set of permissions and technical assessments.

The Broadband India Forum has called for the Department of Telecommunications to act as the lead agency through a single window system. Industry representatives also want several landing sites on both coasts and in island territories to be identified and approved in advance, with standard conditions for construction and maintenance.

India has already designated submarine cable systems as critical telecommunications infrastructure. That status could support faster approvals, emergency repair procedures and legal protection for cable corridors. Protected zones could restrict anchoring and trawling near landing sites and known cable routes.

New routes are beginning to spread the risk

India is not standing still. Four new submarine cable systems are being commissioned, with three more planned. One major project is I-2SEA, a planned connection between India, Malaysia and Singapore led by a consortium including Lightstorm and other industry partners.

The system is expected to use dual Indian landings at Machilipatnam and South Chennai. The Machilipatnam route would provide a shorter connection toward Hyderabad, where demand for cloud and AI computing is increasing. The second landing would add capacity and geographic diversity beyond Mumbai.

Other projects are also pointing toward new hubs. Visakhapatnam has emerged as a potential gateway on the eastern coast, with plans involving international technology companies, telecom operators and data centre developers. New links could connect India more directly with Southeast Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

Telecom companies such as Airtel and Jio are expanding their cable portfolios, while major technology companies are investing directly in international systems. This reflects a broader global shift. Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon have moved from being large buyers of cable capacity to backing and, in some cases, owning cable systems themselves.

The change is driven first by video and streaming traffic, then by cloud services and AI. Hyperscalers want direct control over routes that connect their data centres, which can improve capacity planning and reduce dependence on third party networks.

Technology can help monitor the seabed

Physical diversification will remain the main defence, yet monitoring technology may reduce the chance of unnoticed damage. Distributed Acoustic Sensing uses the optical fibre inside a cable as a long sensor. Changes in light patterns can reveal vibrations caused by ships, anchors or underwater vehicles.

Such systems could alert operators when a vessel is moving dangerously close to a cable corridor. They cannot prevent every accident, and detection does not replace repair capacity, but early warnings could allow authorities or ship operators to respond before a cable is severed.

Security also depends on accurate maps, regular inspections and cooperation between telecom operators, ports, fishing communities and maritime authorities. Cables are buried near some shores, while those in deeper water rest directly on the seabed. Different environments require different protection measures.

The country also needs specialised industrial skills. Indian manufacturers have experience producing terrestrial optical fibre, yet the submarine sector requires more advanced wet plant equipment, including armoured cable, repeaters and other components designed to operate underwater for decades. A domestic repair fleet and stronger local manufacturing could reduce reliance on overseas suppliers.

Can India become a regional cable hub?

India has the market size, data demand and technology investment needed to attract more international cables. Its location gives it potential connections to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Its large pool of digital businesses and expanding data centre industry adds to that appeal.

Singapore shows what a coordinated cable hub can look like. The city state has many cables converging across a small number of landing sites, supported by predictable regulation, strong terrestrial networks and rapid access to repair services. India has a much larger coastline and more space for geographic distribution, although it must create the conditions for companies to use those advantages.

Connectivity has historically clustered around Mumbai because existing infrastructure, customers and technical expertise were already concentrated there. The same commercial logic now creates a security weakness. New coastal gateways will need strong backhaul networks, reliable electricity, skilled workers and clear rules if they are to attract operators away from the established hub.

For India, the practical priorities are straightforward: add landing stations, spread them across different regions, replace ageing cables, protect routes, simplify approvals and develop domestic repair capacity. These measures would also support the country’s ambitions in cloud computing, digital public services and AI.

The Bottom Line

• At least 13 of India’s 18 intercontinental submarine cables land within about six kilometres near Versova in Mumbai.
• Those cables carry as much as 95% of India’s international bandwidth to Europe, Africa and West Asia.
• India consumes roughly 20% of global data while hosting about 3% of the world’s submarine cables.
• Eleven of India’s 18 international cables are more than 20 years old.
• Most cable faults worldwide are caused by anchors, fishing, natural hazards or equipment failure.
• India relies on foreign repair ships, which must obtain permission to work in Indian waters.
• New projects such as I-2SEA and planned landings in Machilipatnam, South Chennai and Visakhapatnam aim to spread connectivity.
• Faster approvals, protected cable corridors and domestic repair capacity are central to reducing the risk.