Reliance Jio cable system to connect Maldives directly to India, Singapore

Reliance Jio on Monday said it will land the next-generation India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system in Maldives, to connect the country with India and Singapore. The Jio IAX system originates in Mumbai and connects directly to Singapore, with branches including additional landings in India, Malaysia and Thailand.

The India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects Mumbai to Milan, landing in Savona, Italy, and includes additional landings in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. IAX is expected to be ready for service at the end-2023 while IEX will be ready for service in mid-2024.

"Aside from economic development, this will accelerate social development through high-speed internet access throughout the Maldives allowing us to attain the equitable development we seek," said Maldivian Minister of Economic Development, Uz Fayyaz Ismail. The multi-terabit and high-speed IAX system will connect Hulhumale in Maldives directly with major internet hubs in India and Singapore.

"IAX will not only connect Maldives to the world's content hubs, but it will also support the explosive growth in data demand expected from the new initiatives being launched by the government of Maldives," said Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio.

The high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tb/s of capacity at speeds of 100Gb/s, over 16,000 kms. IEX and IAX together will be one of the most important developments in telecommunications infrastructure in this decade, linking India, Europe to Southeast Asia, and now the Maldives, said Reliance Jio.