인도의 인터넷 붐, 해저 케이블에 걸려 있다

Have you ever wondered how your internet actually reaches your phone or computer? Here's something surprising: most of it travels through cables buried deep under the ocean.

India's internet boom is one of the fastest in the world. The country now has over 900 million internet users—nearly two-thirds of its entire population. But this explosive growth rests on something fragile and hidden: a network of underwater cables that connect India to the rest of the world.

These cables carry nearly all of India's international data. They bring information from servers in other countries, carry video streams, move business files, and handle billions of digital transactions every single day. Without them, India's digital economy would simply stop.

Here's where the problem becomes interesting. At least thirteen of India's eighteen intercontinental cables come ashore within six kilometres of one beach—Versova Beach, near Mumbai. That means most of the country's international internet traffic is funnelled through a tiny coastal zone. It's like having eighteen highways, but thirteen of them converge at the same narrow road.

Why is this a problem? Imagine if one incident damaged several cables at once. A ship anchor, an underwater earthquake, or construction work could potentially cut multiple lines of communication. If that happened, millions of Indians could suddenly lose their connection to international data, banking services, and business networks. The impact would be massive.

The concentration also creates another risk: it makes this area an attractive target for anyone who wants to disrupt India's digital infrastructure. Protecting one small beach is far easier than protecting cables spread across different locations.

Experts say India needs to diversify—spread these cables across more landing points along the country's long coastline. Some new cables are already being built to different ports, which is a step in the right direction. But the process is slow, and the growth of internet users is fast.

This situation mirrors a challenge many growing nations face: rapid digital expansion often outpaces the infrastructure planning needed to support it safely. India's story is not unique, but it does highlight something important: the internet we depend on every day is built on physical systems that can fail.

So here's a thought: when you next stream a video or send a message across the world, remember that it probably traveled through a cable on the ocean floor. And if you live in India or work in its digital economy, that cable might have touched down at Versova Beach.

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.