What is the India, Malaysia and Singapore Submarine Cable Project?

I-2SEA is a new submarine cable system unveiled on 2 July 2026 for connectivity between Singapore, India and Malaysia. The consortium includes Lightstorm, Microsoft, Singtel and Tata Communications, and the system supplier is NEC Corporation.

Submarine Cable Systems

Submarine cables are fibre-optic communication lines laid on the seabed for international data transmission. These cables carry internet traffic, cloud services and enterprise data across continents and island regions.

I-2SEA Route and Landings

The I-2SEA system is estimated to span 3,600 kilometres from Singapore to Machilipatnam in India. It will also have a second landing at South Chennai, giving the project two Indian landing points. Machilipatnam is planned as the landing point with the shortest subsea access to Hyderabad. South Chennai is a major coastal landing location for several undersea communication systems in India.

Project Partners and Technical Roles

NEC Corporation has been appointed as the system supplier for the cable project. ASEAN Cableship, based in Singapore, will serve as the marine installation partner for the I-2SEA system. Lightstorm is the majority owner of I-2SEA. The companies involved have not disclosed the investment size for the project.

Capacity and Service Use

The cable is designed for hyperscalers, GPU infrastructure providers and enterprises that run AI training and inference workloads. Lightstorm expects the new subsea link to expand its connected AI and cloud zones across India from 19 to 29.

Important Facts for Exams

• Submarine cables are the backbone of international internet connectivity and carry most cross-border data traffic.
• NEC Corporation is a Japanese multinational company known for telecommunications and network infrastructure projects.
• Singapore is a major global hub for submarine cable landings in South-East Asia.
• India’s coastal landing stations are important for connecting domestic networks with global fibre-optic routes.

Project Timeline

The I-2SEA system is targeted for completion and readiness for service in the fourth quarter of 2029. The project was unveiled in 2026 and remains in the development phase.