Microscan Plans Rs 3.5bn Subsea Cable Landing Station in Alibaug, India

Indian fiber networking service provider Microscan is planning to build a new subsea cable landing station in Alibaug, a coastal town roughly 95km (59 miles) south of Mumbai, in a move aimed at diversifying India's subsea cable infrastructure away from the country's heavily concentrated landing points.

The company said it will invest approximately Rs 3.5 billion ($36.75 million) in the project and is targeting hyperscalers, telecom carriers, and cable owners as potential partners. Microscan is already in discussions with Henox IT and Data Centers, Singapore-based Datawave, and an unnamed London-based global subsea telecom operator regarding landing cables at the proposed site, according to a report by tele.net.

The initiative addresses a long-standing vulnerability in India's subsea connectivity: currently, 15 of the country's 17 international cables come ashore in Versova, Mumbai, all within a narrow six-kilometer (four-mile) stretch. Cables landing in that area include 2Africa, AAE-1, BBG, EIG, Falcon, FEA, GBICS/MENA, IMEWE, IAX, MIST, Seacom, and SeaMeWe-4, with the IEX, Raman, and SeaMeWe-6 cables also planned for the region. Concentrating so much critical infrastructure in a single location exposes the nation's international bandwidth to significant geographic and environmental risk, making the development of alternative landing sites a strategic priority.

The new Alibaug facility will connect to Microscan's existing fiber network in India, which links more than 45 data centers, exchanges, and financial markets in and around Mumbai. Founded by Sandeep Donde in 1999, Microscan owns more than 1,800 km (1,118 miles) of fiber network extending from Mumbai to Kolhapur and Goa.

The project reflects a broader trend among Indian infrastructure providers to expand subsea connectivity capacity as the country's data center market accelerates. With hyperscale operators and cloud providers increasingly demanding diverse, resilient international connectivity, new cable landing stations outside traditional hubs are becoming essential to supporting the nation's digital growth ambitions.