In an effort to enhance the internet and telecommunication network in Assam and other northeastern states, the Assam govt has proposed an underwater communication cable on the bed of the Brahmaputra River. If becomes a reality, this cable will join with the global submarine cable network in Bay of Bengal.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed the proposal during a media interaction ahead of the upcoming Advantage Assam 2.0 investment summit.
The CM said that one of the key themes for the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit is “I-way to Viksit Assam”. This session will focus on leveraging digital infrastructure for Assam’s development through discussions with key stakeholders. The telecommunication network is the backbone of the digital infrastructure, and currently, the communication in the region connects to the national network via land-based network through Siliguri.
The CM said that if there is an underwater cable connecting Assam to the submarine cable landing station in Kolkata, the network will improve to a great extent. It will also avoid disruptions caused by damages to the land-based cables, which are often damaged during construction etc. projects.
Giving the example of the recent incident of the state government’s e-office portal going down for 6 days due to such disruptions, he said that if the proposed cable becomes a reality, it will provide a highly reliable connection. This will provide data connectivity similar to what is available in Tamil Nadu, the CM said.
However, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the cable under Brahmaputra is an idea of the state government, and now they have to convince the central govt to implement it.
Notably, global telecommunication networks, including internet connectivity, run on submarine cables. These are fibre-optic cables laid on the ocean beds that connect different countries and continents. These cables are the backbone of global communications, carrying over 95% of international data, including internet traffic, financial transactions, and military communications.
Their capacity far surpasses that of satellites, offering data transmission rates in terabits per second. Several major cities in India have landing stations for such submarine cables.
Notably, social media giant Meta yesterday announced a new project to lay 50,000 km of submarine cables, making it the world’s longest subsea cable project. The project titled Project Waterworth will reach five major continents bringing connectivity to the U.S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions.
