The Indian state of Odisha has announced plans to build a submarine cable landing station (Cable Landing Station, CLS) in the coastal city of Puri, aiming to transform the region into a new global digital hub.
According to The Economic Times India, the project will be driven by the state’s Department of Electronics and Information Technology, in collaboration with RailTel and consulting firm Deloitte for technical and strategic planning.
The initiative seeks to strengthen Odisha’s digital infrastructure, attract investments in data centers, encourage the arrival of tech companies, and create new job opportunities, as highlighted by the government in an official statement.
The Chief Secretary of the state, Manoj Ahuja, noted that consultations will be held with hyperscale operators to ensure that the station is future-ready. The expectation is that the infrastructure will be fully operational within three years.
Although technical details about the project have not yet been shared, Puri was chosen as the location due to its strategic geographical position, suitable coastline, scalability potential, and existing robust infrastructure.
So far, the main submarine cable landing stations in India are located in Chennai and Mumbai. The selection of Puri, also on the east coast, aims to diversify the country’s international connectivity entry points and enhance telecommunications resilience.
This move adds to other efforts by state governments in India to strengthen their appeal as a tech destination. In 2023, CtrlS announced an investment of $18.1 million in Odisha. Meanwhile, the state of Andhra Pradesh has also revealed plans to develop a “Data City” in Visakhapatnam, with 500 acres dedicated to attracting tech companies. Similarly, the government of Telangana has partnered with Blackstone, Ursa Clusters, and Tillman Global Holdings to establish several data centers in the region.
With this new submarine cable landing station, Odisha reinforces its position as a future key node in India’s and South Asia’s digital infrastructure.
Source: DCD