The country currently hosts around 17 international subsea cables across 14 distinct landing stations. The total lit capacity and activated capacity of these cables stood at 138.606 terabits per second (Tbps) and 111.111 Tbps, respectively (at the end of 2022) The 21,700 route km (Rkm) submarine cable system connects India to Singapore and France (Marseille) crossing Egypt through terrestrial cables. Last month, Bharti Airtel landed the new SEA-ME-WE 6 (Southeast Asia-Middle East-West Europe-6, or SMW6) submarine telecom cable in Chennai. The company has investments in 34 cables globally. Submarine cables carry over 99 per cent of international data exchanges, making their resilience a global imperative. According to the company, Project Waterworth will bring industry-leading connectivity to the US, India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions. Once the project is complete, it will span over 50,000 km (longer than the Earth’s circumference), making it the world’s longest subsea cable project using the highest-capacity technology available.