India's rapid embrace of digital technologies and its aspirations for a prominent role in the global AI-driven future are encountering a critical vulnerability: its undersea internet infrastructure is heavily concentrated in a single location, raising concerns about security and resilience. At least 13 of the country's 18 intercontinental cables make landfall within a six-kilometer radius of Mumbai's Versova beach, creating a significant chokepoint.
This concentration poses a substantial risk to a nation experiencing exponential data consumption and preparing for an AI-heavy future. "Given its young demographics and 'Digital India' aspirations, it makes sense for the nation to build and maintain its own internet infrastructure for security and governance purposes," said Pooja Bhatt, an associate professor at OP Jindal Global University.
The Indian government has recognized the critical nature of these undersea systems, officially designating them as essential telecommunications infrastructure. This classification is intended to expedite permits, establish emergency repair protocols, and foster an indigenous cable repair capability. It also aims to create legally protected zones around cable landing sites and routes to restrict activities like anchoring and trawling.
Addressing the Vulnerability
While technological solutions like Distributed Acoustic Sensing, which can convert optical fibers into sensors to detect underwater vibrations, are being explored, immediate improvements may be more pragmatic. These include developing more landing stations, enhancing geographical diversity in cable routes, streamlining permission processes, securing cable pathways, and building a dedicated Indian repair capacity.
"Connectivity has historically clustered around Mumbai because the ecosystem, infrastructure and demand were already concentrated there," noted an expert identified as Gupta. "But that concentration is exactly the risk the industry needs to design away from."
Efforts to diversify are already underway. Four new submarine cable systems are being commissioned, with three more planned. Lightstorm is leading a consortium that is building one of these systems, I-2SEA, which will connect India to Malaysia and Singapore. This new system is designed with dual landings in India—one at Machilipatnam, offering a more direct subsea route to Hyderabad, and another at a new location in South Chennai, adding crucial diversity to existing international links.
The expansion of data centers and the anticipation of an AI-powered future underscore the urgency for India to ensure its foundational internet infrastructure, including its cables, landing stations, and repair capabilities, can adequately support its digital ambitions.