Page 12 - The Indian EYE 042426

Op-Ed APRIL 24, 2026 | The Indian Eye 12

Securing the Digital Lifelines

of Global Connectivity

As subsea cables power the modern digital world, the United States

is working with partners including India to secure these vital networks and

strengthen connectivity across the Indo-Pacific.

GIRIRAJ AGARWAL, SPAN Magazine

U.S. Embassy New Delhi
eneath the vast waters of the
Indo-Pacific lies a largely un-
Bseen but indispensable net-
work powering the modern world.
Subsea cables, often overlooked in
public discourse, are essential to
global connectivity, economic ex-
change, and strategic coordination.
“Subsea cables carry over 95
percent of international internet
traffic, supporting everything from
cross-border payments to cloud and
AI services,” says an economic of-
ficer at U.S. Embassy New Delhi.
“Because so many routes
run through Indo-Pacific choke-
points, any cut or compromise
there can send shockwaves through
the global economy.” This is why
securing subsea cables has be- A U.S. Navy utilitiesman performs maintenance on subsea cables at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. Subsea cables are essential
come a frontline strategic issue. to global connectivity, economic exchange, and strategic coordination, and militarily, they are indispensable for national security, logistics, and
For the United States and coalition operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Builder 2nc Class Ben Reed/Released)
the many countries they connect,
these cables are economic lifelines.
“Asia-focused routes support a vast networks hold a real impact on how the Quad Partnership for Cable infrastructure. Its geographic posi-
share of U.S. digital trade and ser- power is exercised in the Indo-Pacif- Connectivity and Resilience, linking tion further enhances its importance,
vices exports, and one recent esti- ic.” the United States, India, Japan, and placing it “at the crossroads of Asia,
mate suggests that connectivity with Building secure networks Australia, seeks to expand secure the Middle East, Africa, and Europe,
the region via subsea systems adds connectivity and strengthen network astride key subsea routes.”
on the order of $169 billion a year to In response, U.S. policy is in- resilience across the region. U.S. companies are playing a
the U.S. economy,” the officer says. creasingly focused on strengthen- “These efforts back trusted sup- central role in this transformation.
“They are also the critical ing subsea cable infrastructure and pliers, push for high infrastructure “U.S. hyperscalers remain central to
backbone of the AI and cloud shaping how these networks are standards, and encourage new cable India’s digital ecosystem,” she says,
era,” she adds, pointing to invest- built and secured. The Department routes that avoid single points of fail- pointing to new investments that
ments by major U.S. technology of State’s CABLES Program, the of- ure,” says the officer. are reshaping both India’s and the
firms in trans-Pacific and regional ficer explains, “aims to shape where Partnering for digital region’s connectivity by diversify-
cable systems to enhance speed, se- and how new cables are built, who ing landing points. Recent projects
curity, and resilience. supplies them, and what security resilience in cities like Visakhapatnam and
The strategic dimension is standards they follow.” India is emerging as an import- Mumbai are expected to broaden
equally significant. “Militarily, the Through partnerships with gov- ant partner in this evolving land- India’s subsea gateways, strengthen
same fiber-optic networks are in- ernments and industry, the program scape. “India’s digital consump- resilience, and support the AI-scale
dispensable to the United States for promotes best practices, route di- tion is booming with 36 GB per user data and cloud capacity the country
national security, logistics, and coali- versification, and safeguards against per month which is amongst the increasingly needs.
tion operations,” she says. “We need risks like sabotage, surveillance, and highest globally,” she notes, high- “Beyond the infrastructure itself,”
to protect them from physical and overreliance on untrusted vendors. lighting its nearly one billion inter- says the officer, “U.S.-India col-
technical threats because these cable Complementing these efforts, net users and rapidly expanding data Continued on next page... >>

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