Strengthening the U.S.-India subsea cable agenda

‘Enhanced subsea cable collaboration will complement the broader U.S.-India trade deal’
| Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Bilateral commercial engagement between India and the United States is accelerating across multiple fronts, not limited to an imminent trade agreement. The two administrations are working closely on strategic sectors, with a shared understanding of the need to diversify and de-risk technology supply chains in an increasingly volatile world. This includes efforts to finesse the Technology for Resilient, Open and Unified Security and Trust (TRUST) framework — the spiritual successor to the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology, or iCET.

Later this year, United States President Donald Trump is expected to visit India for the Quad (India, Australia, Japan, U.S.) Summit. The first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement between India and the U.S. will be signed in advance of this summit, which will set a solid baseline of deepened cooperation across digital technologies and markets.

Amidst these developments, subsea cables — the physical backbone of the global Internet — are emerging as an area of focus. They carry over 95% of international data traffic, enabling nearly all digital interactions. Once these cables reach land, they either connect directly to users or link to the data centres that power cloud services and critical infrastructure. China’s rapid expansion of subsea infrastructure across the Indo-Pacific through its Digital Silk Road Initiative underscores the strategic importance of trusted alternatives.

Part of global public good

A strong India-American pledge to develop resilient, secure subsea systems would serve as a global public good. The TRUST framework recognises India’s growing role as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific, while also advancing plans to invest in regional subsea cable infrastructure using trusted vendors. India hosts around 17 subsea cables, with a few more under construction. But these are cumulatively less than Singapore’s 26, despite its much smaller size. This must change because we are well-positioned to become a regional connectivity hub. We have all the necessary ingredients: a sprawling 11,098-kilometre coastline, a central location in the Indo-Pacific, and a fast-growing digital economy.

India’s coastline accounts for nearly two-thirds of its boundary. Yet, 15 of the country’s 17 international subsea cables converge on a six-kilometre stretch in Mumbai. Cable landing stations, coastline facilities that connect subsea cables to terrestrial networks, are concentrated in five cities: Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Tuticorin, and Thiruvanathapuram. Continued diversification of network infrastructure is in order since disruptions in one region, such as natural calamities, human error or sabotage, can have devastating implications.

A spread-out network of landing stations would also increase redundancy — which is the ability of a network to reroute data across other links when there is a disruption. In 2024, Houthi rebels allegedly damaged subsea cables in the Red Sea. Indian operators were forced to reroute traffic to other cable systems to avoid disruption. A similar disruption closer to home could lead to breakdowns in both domestic and international communications.

Potential as a transit hub

Subsea cable routes tend to mirror historical maritime trade routes. Positioned between Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa, India sits near key maritime choke points — the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca and Bab-el-Mandeb. This makes the country a natural hub for global cable networks.

India is also situated at the centre of a region with the fastest broadband expansion, serving rising demand in dynamic economies across Africa and Asia, including Indonesia. It serves as a key junction for nearly all Africa-Asia and Europe-Asia submarine cables. Enhanced connectivity is also important for serving surging domestic demand. India’s bandwidth requirement is projected to grow at 38% between 2021 and 2028, fuelled by rising consumption and data centre investments.

Countering Beijing’s influence in the Indo-Pacific is an enduring American policy stance. India’s digital infrastructure, particularly subsea cables, is a front line asset that requires greater fortification, in this context.

Steps needed

For its part, India must lower entry barriers to greater investment. The licensing regime for undersea cables remains prohibitively complex and must be reformed. Cables need upwards of 50 clearances from multiple Ministries. Further, India continues to rely on foreign-flagged cable repair ships, primarily based out of Singapore and Dubai. These vessels typically take between three to five months to respond to outages — delays driven by long travel times and a cumbersome clearance process involving customs, naval permissions, and crew approvals. These lags are a commercial liability.

America also needs to step up investments in critical digital infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific. This includes inward concessional finance, technical assistance for cable route diversification and cybersecurity, and encouraging U.S. firms to take anchor positions in cable projects. An example is Meta’s multi-year investment in a 50,000-kilometre undersea cable project to enhance Indian Ocean connectivity, highlighted in the United States-India Joint Leaders’ Statement (February 2025). The project is set to begin soon and will connect five continents. Supporting the development of a domestic subsea cable repair ecosystem, including depot infrastructure and Indian-flagged vessels, should also find mention under the TRUST framework.

Finally, enhanced subsea cable collaboration will complement the broader U.S.-India trade deal currently being negotiated since it is also premised on more dynamic technology cooperation. Swift action on these fronts will improve the region’s digital resilience and advance shared strategic and commercial goals.

Vedika Pandey is a technology policy researcher at the Koan Advisory Group, New Delhi. Dhruv Shekhar is a technology policy researcher at the Koan Advisory Group, New Delhi. Samrridhi Kumar is a technology policy researcher at the Koan Advisory Group, New Delhi