India’s Department of Telecommunications(DoT) has instructed telecom operators and subsea cable firms to assess risks and prepare contingency plans as the escalating Iran conflict threatens critical undersea routes in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. The region carries roughly one-third of India’s westbound internet traffic to the United States and Europe, making it vital to the country’s digital infrastructure.
The directive follows growing security concerns as military tensions disrupt global connectivity infrastructure. The developments pose a direct risk to India’s ambition to attract $270 billion in AI and data infrastructure investments, as well as the government’s goal of establishing $200 billion worth of data centers announced by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw earlier this year.
Several major subsea cable projects have already been halted. Meta and its partners paused the 2Africa Pearls extension after Alcatel Submarine Networks declared force majeure, while Orange and Singtel suspended work on the SEA-ME-WE 6 system. Qatar’s Ooredoo has also halted the Fibre in Gulf project. Existing cables, including Bharti Airtel’s SEA-ME-WE 4 and Flag Telecom’s FALCON, remain unserviced due to safety concerns, with similar risks facing Tata Communications’ TGN-Gulf network and new planned systems by Reliance Jio and Google.
While some traffic is being rerouted eastward through Singapore and trans-Pacific routes, experts warn these lines lack the capacity to handle India’s volume of international data flow. The redirection also increases latency and costs, straining hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services.
Industry leaders have cautioned that prolonged disruption could delay India’s data center expansion, which relies heavily on stable subsea connectivity. The concentration of cable landing stations in Mumbai and Chennai further heightens vulnerability. Stakeholders are urging diplomatic engagement with Iran to protect essential infrastructure, though limited vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz has offered some short-term relief.
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