Microsoft and Lightstorm to build I-2SEA undersea cable linking India and Southeast Asia

Exam-focused facts from the 4 July 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

A consortium including Microsoft and Lightstorm plans to build the I-2SEA undersea cable linking India with Malaysia and Singapore.
The consortium members include Microsoft, Lightstorm, Tata Communications, Singapore Telecommunications, ASEAN Cableship, and NEC Corporation.
The I-2SEA cable will span 3,600 km and feature a landing station in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The network is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2029 to support AI, cloud, and hyperscale workloads.
India currently has 17 active submarine cables with a maximum potential capacity of 960 terabits per second.