President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has revealed the installation of the submarine cable will make internet prices more affordable. He made the announcement while delivering the Presidential Address at the Parliament of the Maldives.
In his address, President Solih noted it is important to ensure that internet prices remain affordable and the infrastructure future-proof, as the world changes, advances in digital communications technology are the single biggest technological force that drives innovation and commerce. The president said it will be facilitated with the new submarine cable that will be installed with the assistance of the Government. The international submarine cable that stretches from Marseilles, France, to Singapore will make landfall for its Maldivian hub in the next five months, and by September, will be ready to be operationalised, he said.
Furthermore, President Solih ensures the project will decrease internet prices and bring further improvements to bandwidth availability and internet speeds which will be a resource that will connect almost all spheres of life.
The government contracted the first-ever submarine cable installed by the government to Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited. The agreement was signed by Ocean Connect Maldives (OCM) and Reliance Jio in February 2022.