Google Unveils Subsea Cable to Enhance Indian Ocean Connectivity

Google has announced plans to develop a new subsea cable system designed to enhance internet connectivity across the Indian Ocean region. This initiative aims to improve network resilience, increase data capacity, and support the growing digital demands of countries connected through the Indian Ocean. By strengthening the global infrastructure, Google’s subsea cable will help deliver faster, more reliable internet services and promote digital growth, economic development, and technological advancement in the region.

Google revealed plans to lay a new subsea cable network linking Christmas Island with the Maldives and Oman, alongside creating two fresh data hubs aimed at strengthening digital infrastructure across the Indian Ocean.

Officials confirmed that Christmas Island, Australia’s isolated outpost in the Indian Ocean, has sufficient electricity to host a Google data centre without affecting residents, and its arrival may even encourage a shift toward greener energy sources.

The tech giant’s parent company, Alphabet, announced on Monday that a new data hub will be established on the small island, located roughly 350 km south of Indonesia, confirming earlier reporting by Reuters. The company also detailed its intention to build an undersea cable system stretching from Christmas Island to the Maldives and Oman, supported by two additional hubs to reinforce the region’s internet resilience.

Some locals were initially worried that the island’s energy supply might fall short of supporting households, the phosphate mine, and Google’s new centre. However, Nicholas Gan, CEO of Phosphate Resources, assured that current electricity capacity remains sufficient. The mining company, which employs half of the island’s 1,600 residents, runs a diesel-powered generator that provides energy for both the mine and Australian defence facilities.

Gan explained that the existing grid can comfortably meet both the mine’s needs and Google’s expected energy consumption. He added that the system could become strained if facilities like the asylum seeker detention centre or dormant resort resume operations. Google’s presence, he noted, strengthens the argument for investing in renewable power, which would be more cost-effective than bringing in diesel.

Australia’s infrastructure department is working closely with Google to ensure the company’s energy demands do not affect supply for people and businesses on Christmas Island. Two additional Google undersea cables planned to extend eastward from the island are expected to land near major Australian defence bases, according to earlier Reuters reports. Analysts believe such infrastructure could support AI-enabled drone surveillance of Chinese submarine movements.

Google clarified that the Christmas Island data hub will be smaller than many of its global centres and that its digital systems will also benefit local users. The company stated that while connectivity hubs can require significant power in small regions, Google is exploring ways to use its energy needs to encourage investment in sustainable local power generation.

Gan, who also serves on the island’s economic planning group, said Google’s project will inject much-needed activity into a remote community long affected by economic highs and lows, especially as its mining era nears an end. More than two decades ago, Australia and Russia considered constructing a commercial spaceport on the island, but Indonesian objections halted the idea before it could open.

In the 1990s, Christmas Island briefly hosted a luxury casino that drew wealthy visitors from Jakarta before shutting down during the Asian financial crisis. For almost twenty years, an asylum seeker detention centre shaped the island’s identity, until policy changes in 2023 led to it being largely vacated.

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Source: NDTV‍