Jio to land subsea cable system IAX in Maldives

New Delhi : Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (Jio) will land multi-terabit India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system in Hulhumale, Maldives in collaboration with state-run Ocean Connect Maldives.

“The high capacity and high-speed IAX system will connect Hulhumale directly with the world’s major internet hubs in India and Singapore,” Reliance said in a statement on Monday.

Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio said that 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.

“This is the first stride towards enhancing our connectivity infrastructure and opening vast opportunities for our people through providing secure, affordable and high-quality services. We also aim to diversify our economy and establish ourselves as a key communications hub in South Asia,” said Uz Fayyaz Ismail, Minister of Economic Development, Maldives.

The IAX system originates in Mumbai in the west 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 end-2023, while IEX will be ready for service in mid-2024. “These high capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tb/s of capacity at speeds of 100Gb/s, over 16,000 kilometers. Employing open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units ensures rapid upgrade deployment and the ultimate flexibility to add/drop waves across multiple locations,” said Reliance Jio.

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, it added.