Dhiraagu Debuts Submarine Cable

Dhiraagu claims the launch is a ‘historic’ first as it is the first Maldivian company to join a global submarine cable consortium as a co-owner.

The SMW6 submarine cable system is a global super-highway, connecting Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe. It spans 19,200 kilometers, boasting a minimum transmission speed of 100 terabits per second (Tbps). It links 11 countries from Singapore to France with its technology.

In 2021, Dhiraagu entered into a consortium with 16 global telco and techno companies to be a co-owner of this international system.

Dhiraagu’s investment will provide the Maldives with direct access to key global internet exchange points and data centres.

The official landing ceremony of SMW6 was held at Hulhumale’ Phase II.

“The SMW6 submarine cable inaugurated today will ensure that the Maldives has direct access to multiple internet exchange points without having to be dependent on any single country to connect to the global network,” states the Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works, Adam Shareef Umar, speaking at the event.

“Connecting our digital network to the SMW6 submarine cable system is an important step towards establishing the Maldives as a global digital hub and increasing the resiliency of the country’s digital backbone. This access by the Maldives to key digital hubs across the world will help us to provide higher speeds of digital connectivity, reduce latency, and decrease the cost of our internet services in the future,” states Dhiraagu CEO and managing director Ismail Rasheed.

The SMW6 submarine cable system is expected to be completed in early 2026.

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