Maldivian telecommunications company Dhiraagu has officially inaugurated the SEA-ME-WE 6 (Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 6 - SMW6) submarine cable landing in the Maldives. The telco says this is the first time in the country’s telecommunications history that a Maldivian digital service provider is joining as a co-owner of a global submarine cable system consortium.
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Maldives' Digital Infrastructure
Dhiraagu joined a consortium of 16 global telco and tech companies to become a co-owner of this international system in 2021. The company says this investment will provide the Maldives with direct access to key global internet exchange points and data centers, strengthening the country’s international connectivity.
The landing ceremony, held at Hulhumale’ Phase 2, was attended by Minister of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works Adam Shareef Umar, along with other government officials.
Government and Company Statements
"The SMW6 submarine cable inaugurated today will ensure that the Maldives has direct access to multiple internet exchange points without relying on any single country to connect to the global network," stated Adam Shareef Umar, Minister of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works, 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," said Ismail Rasheed, Dhiraagu's CEO and Managing Director.
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SMW6 Submarine Cable
The SMW6 submarine cable, spanning 19,200 km and capable of minimum speeds of 100 Tbps, connects Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe across eleven countries, from Singapore to France, using the latest undersea cable technology, the official release said. The SMW6 submarine cable is expected to be fully operational by early 2026.
