The I-2SEA submarine cable system, expected to be up and running by the end of 2029, I2SEA will be among the earliest next-generation systems to come online on the India–Singapore route.
Lightstorm, announced a multi-million dollar deal to launch a new 12-fiber-pair subsea network that directly connects India, Singapore, and Malaysia with consortium partners Microsoft, Singtel and Tata Communications.The I-2SEA submarine cable system, expected to be up and running by the end of 2029, I2SEA will be among the earliest next-generation systems to come online on the India–Singapore route. The system will be designed specifically for AI, cloud, and hyperscale workloads and deliver one of the lowest-latency routes between Singapore and Hyderabad, supporting the growing demand for AI training.“Based on whether you’re calculating from the East or West Coast up to Singapore or Malaysia, the latencies with this cable will be about 10-15 percent lower than any other cable that is currently [running in this ASEAN route],” Amajit Gupta, Group CEO and Managing Director, Lightstorm told businessline.As the project spans approximately 3,600 km with four landings stations, I-2SEA is one of the largest single subsea project in India in recent times. Plugging the cable into the larger grid can power and connect data centres across 75 cities connected by Lightstorm including Hyderabad, Chennai, Ganghatta, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and others at “super low speeds,” said Gupta.Four landing stationsThe project plots four landing stations, two of which will be at Machilipatnam and South Chennai and integrated into Lightstorm’s 30,000 km terrestrial network, extending connectivity into over 80 data centers across India. one of the reasons why we joined this project to land in Mashlipatnam in Chennai was our excitement of the very large-scale facilities partners such as Microsoft are building in Hyderabad and Poland. Further, direct high-capacity connectivity between India, Singapore, and Malaysia will be increasingly strategic for regional digital growth, as per Microsoft.The system utilises optimal route planning combined with a deep cable burial strategy that targets three-meter depth across the entire network for the buried sections. This gives the I-2SEA cable system high level of protection and high uptime.Aside from the four major players, the I-2SEA system is being developed under a Joint Build Agreement with NEC Corporation as the system supplier and ACPL (Continent Pte. Ltd.) as the marine installation partner and Telecom Malaysia will act as the landing partner in Malaysia.Published on July 2, 2026
