Urgent Reforms Needed for India's Submarine Cable Infrastructure

Broadband companies in India are urging the government to address bottlenecks, such as sluggish approval processes and custom issues, to enhance the subsea cable segment vital for digital communication. Industry leaders highlight the need for faster repairs and improved domestic capacity to support internet infrastructure growth.

In a bid to fortify India's digital communication infrastructure, broadband companies have called for governmental intervention to streamline the subsea cable segment. The current challenges include a slow approval process for repair ships and building domestic expertise for maintaining these crucial submarine cables.

Bharti Airtel's Chief Regulatory Officer, Rahul Vatts, emphasized the difficulties faced due to bureaucratic bottlenecks, which delay repair operations for damaged cables caused by fishing trawlers. Vatts pointed out that despite recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, little progress has been made in simplifying these procedures.

With 99% of internet traffic relying on submarine cables, industry leaders stress the importance of viewing them as strategic assets. Broadband India Forum (BIF) President TV Ramachandran highlighted the need for more cable landing stations and domestic repair capabilities to mitigate economic and strategic risks.

(With inputs from agencies.)