India is witnessing a surge in global submarine optic fibre infrastructure as tech giants Google and Meta invest billions to establish landing stations for subsea cables. This growing presence is likely to stir competition with local telecom giants like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Tata Communications as the demand for data services expands rapidly across the country.

Key opportunities are also emerging for neutral players like Sify Technologies and Lightstorm, which offer cost-effective infrastructure compared to telecom heavyweights. Industry insiders reveal that Google’s Blue-Raman Submarine Cable System is set to be operational in Mumbai by the first quarter of 2025. This $400 million project, with a capacity of 218 terabits per second (Tbps), is a significant addition to Google’s global subsea cable investments, totaling 18 projects.

Meanwhile, Meta is working on a $10 billion subsea cable project, with a capacity of 500 Tbps, expected to be completed within the next three years. The cable will cross through India, a key market for artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, especially for consumer and enterprise services. Experts note that the subsea cable industry is experiencing a major resurgence, with significant investments expected over the next few years.

Vinay Nagpal, CEO of US-based consulting firm InterGlobix LLC, emphasized the growth in subsea cable investments, with $18 billion worth of projects underway between 2021 and 2025. He said India is well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities, given its strategic location and growing data demands.

Meta’s subsea cable is expected to land either in Gujarat, where its partner Reliance Industries is building India’s largest AI data centre, or in Chennai, where Reliance already operates a joint venture data centre. The cable will connect to terrestrial networks through a landing station, a small data centre facility designed for this purpose.

Local telecom giants Jio and Airtel are also ramping up their infrastructure, with three major projects—2Africa Pearls, India-Asia-Express (IAX), and India-Europe-Express (IEX)—set to be launched between October and March. These projects will significantly expand existing capacity, improving global connectivity.

Amajit Gupta, managing director of network infrastructure firm Lightstorm, noted the shift in subsea cable traffic patterns. What was once primarily voice traffic has transformed into a substantial flow of corporate, internet, and over-the-top (OTT) traffic. Tech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon now dominate the subsea cable industry, owning the majority of the largest cables.

As India’s subsea cable market grows, the competition for high-capacity optic fibre connections is intensifying. The market, currently led by Airtel and Tata Communications, is becoming increasingly attractive to new entrants like Jio, which is aggressively positioning itself to meet the soaring demand for data services.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) reports that the global submarine communications cable market is expected to grow significantly, with India’s market anticipated to reach $78.6 million by 2030. This growth is driven by the need for data sovereignty, security, and the booming demand for data in the region.

However, landing subsea cables in India is not a straightforward process. Government regulations restrict ownership of cable landing stations (CLS) to telecom license holders like Airtel and Tata Communications. This has resulted in high access charges for competitors. Industry experts suggest that major tech companies are exploring alternative, more cost-effective options for landing their cables in India, as the high costs of access charges have deterred many large projects in the past.

Sunil Tagare, an independent consultant on submarine networks, compared cable landing stations to airports, where monopolistic control over access charges can create a significant barrier for competition. The challenge is clear: only a few companies can control the access points for these high-demand cables.

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