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A Roadmap for Securing India’s Undersea Cables
Undersea Cables in India: A Strategic Plan to Strengthen National Security
Context: Undersea fibre optic cables, carrying 97% of global data and enabling US$10 trillion in daily transactions, are vital to India’s digital economy. With just 17 cables—mostly concentrated near Mumbai—India faces growing strategic risks, especially amid rising cable disruptions and China’s deep-sea sabotage capabilities.
What are undersea fibre optic cables and why are they important for India’s economy?
Undersea fibre optic (FO) cables are the backbone of global digital communication. They carry 97% of global data traffic and enable about US$10 trillion in international financial transactions daily.
Why Important for India:
- India’s services exports stood at US$341.11 billion in 2023–24, most of which relied on undersea cables.
How are undersea fibre optic cables laid and maintained?
- Specialised cable-laying ships deploy cables across oceans between Cable Landing Stations (CLSs).
- In shallow waters, cables are buried using ploughs or water jet trenching devices to protect them from ship anchors and fishing activity.
- Cables include repeater units (for signal amplification) and sometimes metallic armouring in high-risk zones.
- Repairs require lifting the cable, cutting it, diagnosing faults, and splicing it with new sections. This is a complex, time-sensitive process.
- These exports are expected to rise to US$618 billion by 2030, overtaking merchandise exports.
- India’s digital economy, finance sector, defence communication, and strategic planning critically depend on seamless undersea connectivity.
Where do India’s undersea cables land, and why is it a strategic concern?
- India currently hosts 17 international subsea cables through 16 landing stations, with the majority concentrated around Versova Beach in Maharashtra.
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- In contrast, Singapore has 26 subsea cables landing at three distinct sites, ensuring redundancy and security.
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- Why It Matters:
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- A six-kilometre coastal stretch hosting most of the country’s cables presents a single-point vulnerability.
- Any targeted attack or natural disaster in this region could cripple India’s internet and financial systems.
Why are undersea cables increasingly at risk?
- On 22 March 2025, China revealed a deep-sea cable-cutting device capable of damaging even fortified underwater lines.
- The Baltic Sea and Taiwan regions have witnessed multiple cable disruptions, with at least 11 incidents in the Baltic alone in 15 months.
- The dual-use nature of these devices (repair vs. sabotage) creates ambiguity and threat.
What are India’s key vulnerabilities in securing its undersea cables?
- Limited number of cables: Only 17 subsea cables serve India.
- Ageing infrastructure: At least 11 of these are nearing end-of-life.
- Geographic concentration: Most cables land near Mumbai, a single point of failure.
- Lack of indigenous repair ships: India depends on foreign cable repair services, which face delays due to availability, distance, and regulatory red tape.
Why does this matter for India’s strategic and economic future?
- India’s growing role as a global digital hub makes its undersea cable security a national imperative. The economic and strategic fallout of a major disruption—whether accidental or deliberate—could be catastrophic.
- This report by Monty Khanna lays out a multi-layered roadmap encompassing infrastructure expansion, military preparedness, regulatory reform, and technological innovation, aimed at building resilience in India’s undersea cable network.
- By treating data connectivity as critical infrastructure, India can ensure its economic growth and national security remain uninterrupted in the years ahead.
