CHENNAI: India has taken a big leap in global internet connectivity with the landing of a 21,700 km-long submarine cable in Chennai. This high-speed cable, linking Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, brings a staggering 220 terabits per second (TBps) of capacity to the country.
Owned by Bharti Airtel, one of India’s top telecom providers, this cable was first connected to Mumbai on December 30, 2024. Now, with its landing in Chennai, the cable will be fully integrated with Nxtra by Airtel, the company’s data centre arm. This will enable seamless access to international data and cloud computing services, benefiting businesses worldwide.
The installation was carried out by SubCom, a global leader in subsea fiber optic systems. These new connections will enhance Airtel’s network, offering greater capacity and improved redundancy for global internet traffic.
Chennai is fast emerging as a major data center hub in India. The city currently has 88 MW of colocation capacity, with more data centers under construction.
“This expansion strengthens our existing 400,000 km network across 50 countries. It highlights our commitment to supporting Digital India’s growing need for global connectivity with more routes, diversity, and capacity,” said Sharat Sinha, Director & CEO – Airtel Business.
Airtel has invested in the core cable system and has also developed a private network of four fibre pairs connecting Singapore, Chennai, and Mumbai. This will further enhance India’s digital infrastructure, ensuring faster, more reliable internet for businesses and consumers like.