Mint Explainer | West Asia subsea cable threats: What could happen to India’s internet amid Iran war?

Amid the US-Israel war with Iran, concerns are growing about the safety of subsea cables in West Asia—the hidden network that carries most of the world’s internet. A large part of India’s data travels through these cables, many of which pass through regions now at risk of conflict.

What happens if they are damaged?For everyday users, the internet is unlikely to stop working entirely. But for telecom and internet companies that operate these cables, even temporary disruptions can be costly and complicated, affecting traffic management, repair schedules, and service quality.

The networks can still function, but companies may need to reroute data to alternative routes.The industry estimates that about 60% of India’s internet traffic goes through cables that land in Mumbai and pass through West Asia on their way to Europe, specifically passing through highly vulnerable choke points such as the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The rest goes through Chennai and travels east, via Singapore and the Pacific.This means a majority of India’s internet is linked to a region that now faces geopolitical tensions.

While the Red Sea has always faced cable cuts, the war and the threat by Iran to damage cable infrastructure, as per media reports, has escalated tensions.About 17 submarine cables pass through the Red Sea, carrying the vast majority of data traffic between Europe, Asia and Africa. A complete blackout is unlikely.

That’s because the internet doesn’t depend on a single route. It works more like a network of roads—if one is blocked, traffic can move through another.“It is not as if the internet will ever be shut down but it could get slowed down,” said Amajit Gupta, group chief executive and managing director at network