Subsea Cables, Trusted Networks, and India's Strategic Opportunity

About this episode

The episode discusses the significance of subsea cables for India's digital economy and the geopolitical implications of global data transfer.

In this episode of Interpreting India, Charukeshi Bhatt speaks with Pooja Bhatt, associate professor, Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal University, on a piece of infrastructure that is easy to overlook and very difficult to protect: subsea cables. Stretching over 1.5 million kilometres across ocean floors and carrying nearly 99% of global data traffic, these cables underpin everything from financial systems and cloud infrastructure to the everyday digital services that billions of people rely on. For India, a fast-growing digital economy with expanding data center ambitions, getting this right is not optional. Why subsea cables remain far superior to satellites for global data transfer, and what India's current footprint in the global cable network actually looks like? How do cable consortia work in practice, and what are the tensions that arise when private companies and sovereign governments have very different priorities? How real is the threat from China's rapidly expanding footprint in the global cable network, and what does the debate around trusted networks mean in practice? What has the Quad delivered on cable connectivity and resilience, and what should…

People in this episode

Host: Charukeshi Bhatt

Guest: Pooja Bhatt

Topics covered

• subsea cables
• data transfer
• India's digital economy
• cable consortia
• global cable network
• trusted networks
• Quad connectivity

Keywords

• subsea cables
• data traffic
• digital economy
• cable network
• China
• Quad
• trusted networks
• data centers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal University

Places: India, China

More episodes of Interpreting India

• AI Literacy and the Future of Work in India · May 26, 2026 · 45 min
• Can AI Resources Be Democratized? AI Summit Special · May 15, 2026 · 28 min
• Space Security in the Age of AI · May 7, 2026 · 1h 7m
• An African Perspective for Building AI for Global South | AI Summit Special · April 30, 2026 · 48 min
• The India-EU Trade Deal: What It Delivers and What It Doesn't · April 23, 2026 · 51 min
• From Bletchley Park to Delhi and What Comes Next | AI Summit Special · April 16, 2026 · 55 min