India must develop own maritime security to protect digital lifelines

A strategic shift is redefining how nations view undersea cables - from commercial infrastructure to assets critical for sovereignty and global influence

Submarine cables are the silent lifelines of the digital age, carrying 99 per cent of global internet traffic and driving economic and societal growth. Following their own Moore’s Law, cable capacity doubles every 2–2.5 years, with 70,000 to 100,000 km added annually and $10 billion in investments. As of 2024, over 550 systems span 1.4 million km — enough to circle the Earth 35 times. With India’s exploding data needs, its undersea cable network is poised for exponential growth. Driven by private players, the industry has grown rapidly but in a haphazard manner, with extremely vulnerable dense clusters at chokepoints