Reliance Jio constructing two new India-centered submarine cable systems

Reliance Jio Infocomm said that it is taking part in the construction of two new submarine cable systems centered on India – the India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system and the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system.

The Indian 4G and mobile broadband digital service provider is constructing the cable systems in conjunction with various key global partners and submarine cable supplier SubCom.

The two next generation cables are expected to support the increasing growth in data demand across India and beyond said Reliance Jio Infocomm.

The India-Asia-Xpress system will connect India eastbound to Singapore and beyond. On the other hand, while the India-Europe-Xpress system will connect India westbound to the Middle East and Europe.

The subsea cable systems are expected to provide seamless interconnection apart from connecting to the top interexchange points and content hubs in the world for extension of service globally.

According to Reliance Jio Infocomm, the India-Asia-Xpress and India-Europe-Xpress systems will improve the ability of consumer and enterprise users in accessing content and cloud services in and out of India.

The Reliance subsidiary said that the high capacity and high-speed systems will offer more than 200Tbps of capacity that will be spread over 16,000kms.

Reliance Jio constructing the India-centered India-Asia-Xpress and India-Europe-Xpress subsea cable systems. Image courtesy of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.

Mathew Oommen – President of Reliance Jio Infocomm said: “Jio is at the forefront of India’s explosive growth in digital services and data consumption. To meet the demands of Streaming Video, Remote Workforce, 5G, IoT, and beyond, Jio is taking a leadership role in the construction of the first of its kind, India-centric IAX and IEX subsea systems.

“Implementing these critical initiatives in the shadow of a global pandemic is a challenge, but the ongoing pandemic has only accelerated the digital transformation and the necessity of high-performance global connectivity for the delivery of a richer experience to enterprises and consumers.”

Expected to be ready for service mid-2023, the India-Asia-Xpress system connects India to Asia Pacific markets with express connectivity from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.

The India-Europe-Xpress system, on the other hand, extends the country’s connectivity to Italy with a landing in Savona, and further landings in the Middle East and North Africa. It is anticipated to be ready for service in early 2024.

The two subsea cable systems will also be connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network beyond Asia Pacific and Europe, linking to the east as well as the west coast of the US.