Reliance Jio Infocomm, India's largest mobile operator, will land the multi-terabit India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) undersea cable system in the Maldives’ Hulhumale, a reclaimed island south of North Male, the company confirmed in a statement on Monday. 

Jio’s IAX project in collaboration with Ocean Connect Maldives will provide the archipelago with a high capacity and high-speed IAX system, connecting it with the world's major internet hubs in India and Singapore.

The IAX system originates in Mumbai in the west and connects directly to Singapore, with branches including additional landings in India, Malaysia, and Thailand, PTI news agency reported. The India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects Mumbai to Milan, landing in Savona, Italy, and includes additional landings in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean.

Maldives’ Minister for Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail said, "This is the first stride towards enhancing our connectivity infrastructure and opening vast opportunities for our people through providing secure, affordable, and high-quality services". 

The move, he said, aims to diversify the Maldives’ economy and establish it as a key communications hub in South Asia. It will also accelerate social development through high-speed connectivity and help attain equitable development.  

According to the PTI report, IAX is expected to be ready for service by the end-2023, while IEX will be ready for service in mid-2024. "High capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tb/s of capacity at speeds of 100Gb/s, over 16,000 kilometers," JIO said in a statement.

"IAX will not only connect the Maldives to the world's content hubs, but it will also support the explosive growth in data demand expected from the new initiatives being launched by the government of Maldives,"  said Reliance Jio President Mathew Oommen. 

(SAM)