5h | Natalie Bannerman
Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio), a mobile digital service provider in India, has announced plans to build two new subsea cables in India.
Jio, in collaboration with several key global partners and subsea cable supplier SubCom, is deploying two next-gen subsea cables to support the exponential growth in data across the region.
The first called India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system connects Mumbai and Chennai in India eastbound to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, while the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects India westbound to Italy, landing in Savona, and additional landings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Both systems will seamlessly interconnect with the top internet exchange points and content hubs for extension of service globally.
“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,” said Mathew Oommen, president of Reliance Jio.
Both high-capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tbps of capacity spanning over 16,000km in total. Using open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units will ensure the rapid upgrade and flexibility to add/remove wavelengths across both networks.
Once completed, IAX and IEX will enhance the ability for consumer and enterprise users to access content and cloud services on the international stage.
“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,” added Oommen.
In addition, both systems will be connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network beyond Asia-Pacific and Europe, connecting to both the east and west coast of the USA.
IAX is expected to be ready for service mid-2023, while IEX will be ready for service in early 2024.