Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. (Jio), India’s leading 4G and mobile broadband digital service provider has announced that it will be constructing the largest submarine cable system centred in India.
Jio, along with SubCom, is currently deploying two next-generation cables to support the growth in the demand for data across the region.
The India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system connects India eastbound to Singapore and beyond, while the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects India westbound to the Middle East and Europe.
The systems will interconnect and connect to the world’s top interexchange points and content hubs for extension of service globally. IAX and IEX will enhance the ability for consumer and enterprise users to access content and cloud services in and out of India, the company said.
High Capacity
These high capacities and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tbps of capacity covering over 16,000 kilometers.
Employing open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units will ensure rapid upgrade and flexibility to add/drop waves across multiple locations.
“Jio is at the forefront of India’s explosive growth in digital services and data consumption. To meet the demands of Streaming Video, Remote Workforce, 5G, IoT, and beyond, Jio is taking a leadership role in the construction of the first of its kind, India-centric IAX, and IEX subsea systems.
Implementing these critical initiatives in the shadow of a global pandemic is a challenge, but the ongoing pandemic has only accelerated the digital transformation and the necessity of high-performance global connectivity for the delivery of a richer experience to enterprises and consumers”, said, Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio.
The IAX system connects India to Asia Pacific markets with express connectivity from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
The IEX system extends India’s connectivity to Italy, landing in Savona, and additional landings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Apart from the seamless connection of the IAX and IEX sub-sea systems, the two systems are also connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network beyond Asia Pacific and Europe, connecting to both the east and west coast of the USA. IAX is expected to be ready for service in mid2023, while IEX will be ready for service in early 2024, the company added.
Increasing demand for Submarine cables
According to a report in the Grand View Research, the global submarine cables market size was valued at USD 21.3 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 percent from 2020 to 2027.
Increasing investments in wind farms, increasing data traffic, and investments by OTT providers to suffice the requirements are the major factors driving the market. Submarine communication cables are used for inter-region/country communications.
These communication cables help in faster communication and carry a large amount of data traffic across the globe.
The report further added that the submarine communication cables carry around 90 percent of the data traffic across the world and their total carrying capacity is in terabits per second.
As a result of which they are the most valued cables for the OTT and communication providers, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, and others.
An increase in data traffic has led to an increase in product demand over the last few years. Regions, such as Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and South America, have noted an increase in investments in submarine communication cables.
Companies, such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft, are the main players of the submarine cables. Google owns 10,433 miles of submarine cables internationally, and 63,605 miles in consortium with Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Recently, Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Limited(Keppel T&T), through a wholly owned subsidiary, Keppel Midgard HoldingsPte. Ltd. (KMH), a subsidiary of Facebook Inc. and PT. Telekomunikasi IndonesiaInternational (Telin), a subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.
Entered in a partnership to jointly own and develop the Bifrost Cable System, which is said to be the world’s first subsea cable system that will directly connect Singapore to the West coast of North America via Indonesia through the Java Sea and Celebes Sea.
