Chennai: Bharti Airtel has expanded its undersea cable network with the landing of a 21,700 km submarine cable in Chennai, aimed at improving global internet connectivity for India. The cable, which connects Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, brings an additional capacity of 220 terabits per second (TBps).
Boosting International Connectivity
The undersea cable, part of a global network, was first connected to Mumbai on December 30, 2024. With its extension to Chennai, the system will integrate with Nxtra by Airtel, the company’s data center division. This will support international data exchange, cloud services, and enterprise connectivity.
SubCom, a US-based subsea fiber optic company, carried out the installation. Airtel aims to strengthen its existing 400,000 km network, which spans 50 countries, by increasing capacity and network redundancy.
Chennai Emerging as a Data Center Hub
Chennai has positioned itself as a key data center hub in India, with 88 MW of colocation capacity. Several data center projects are currently under development, making the city an important location for global connectivity infrastructure.
Airtel has invested in a private network with four fiber pairs linking Singapore, Chennai, and Mumbai, aiming to enhance data speed and reliability. The expanded undersea cable infrastructure is expected to support growing internet demand from businesses and consumers.
Expanding Digital Infrastructure
“Airtel’s investment in global connectivity ensures more network routes, higher capacity, and improved service reliability,” said Sharat Sinha, Director & CEO – Airtel Business. The new infrastructure is set to strengthen India’s role in global digital communications and enhance its participation in the global data economy.
