Google and Meta plan to launch new subsea cable projects to compete with Jio and Airtel

As India becomes a major data hub, telecom behemoths Jio, Airtel, and Tata Communications face competition from Google and Meta, who are pouring billions into the country's undersea cables.

In the midst of the country's data center growth, local data heavyweights Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Tata Communications are set to face competition from international internet companies like Google and Meta, who are spending billions on undersea cable infrastructure in India, according to a story by The Economic Times.

In contrast to telecom giants like Airtel and Tata Communications, independent companies like Sify Technologies and Lightstorm are becoming more popular since they provide affordable landing options.

Google intends to establish its Blue-Raman Submarine Cable System in Mumbai by the first quarter of 2025, according to industry insiders cited in a news story. The $400 million project, which has a huge capacity of 218 Tbps, also includes funding from Sparkle in Italy. According to the article, this raises Google's total number of subsea cable investments to 18. 

In contrast, Meta is engaged in a $10 billion submerged cable project that is anticipated to provide 500 Tbps of capacity in three years. India, one of the biggest markets for consumer and business AI, will be crossed by this cable. 

According to Vinay Nagpal, CEO of the US-based subsea network consultant InterGlobix LLC, the subsea business is seeing a significant comeback, according to the research.

According to Nagpal, 107 new cables totaling $13.8 billion were installed between 2016 and 2020, and an additional $18 billion in investment is planned for 2021–2025.

According to the story, Meta's cable is either going to arrive in Chennai, where Reliance has another data center, or Gujarat, where Reliance Industries is constructing a huge 1-gigawatt AI data center.