Reliance Jio (Jio), India’s top telco, on Monday announced that it is working on constructing the largest international submarine cable system, that too in India. Jio will be working with several key global partners and submarine cable supplier SubCom to deploy two next-gen cables to support extraordinary growth in data demand across the region. The two systems will be named IAX (India-Asia-Xpress) and IEX (India-Europe-Xpress), both of which will work to connect India to overseas locations, with the former system connecting India eastwards to Singapore and further, whilst the latter will connect India towards the west to Europe and the Middle East. The systems are supposedly aimed at seamlessly interconnecting and connecting to the world’s best interexchange points and content hubs so as to gain an extension of services on a global scale. IAX and IEX will also enhance the ability of the consumer and enterprise owner to access content and cloud services in and around India.
What Do We Know About IAX and IEX?
For those of you unaware, this is the first time in the history of fibre optic submarine telecommunications that the systems are placed in India at the centre of the international network map, hinting at India’s importance and staggering growth, a quantum shift in data use since Jio first debuted back in 2016. These high-speed systems are expected to deliver more than 200 Tbps of capacity over a span of 16,000 km. Employing open system technology as well as the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units will ensure rapid upgrade deployment as well as the ultimate flexibility to add or drop waves across different locations. As per a statement by Mr Mathew Oommen, the president of Reliance Jio, the company is at the forefront of India’s explosive growth in matters of digital services and data consumption. In order to meet the demands of streaming content, remote workforce, 5G, IoT, amongst others, Jio is in a leadership role in the construction of the first of its kind, India-focused IAX and IEX subsea systems. The IAX system connects India, which is the world’s fastest-growing economy, to Asia Pacific markets with speedy connectivity from Mumbai and Chennai to places such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. In contrast, the IEX system pushes India’s connectivity to Italy (Savona) and the Middle East and North Africa. In terms of availability, IAX is expected to be ready for service by mid-2023, with IEX being ready for service around 2024.
