Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has signed an agreement with Ocean Connect Maldives (OCM) to allocate land for the development and operation of a submarine cable landing station.
The agreement was signed by Managing Director of HDC Ahmed Athif and Managing Director of OCM Hussain Shihab. OCM is a 100% state-owned company established under the Maldives Fund Management Corporation.
In February, OCM signed an agreement with Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited to establish the country’s first direct connection to an international submarine cable system. As per the agreement, an India-Asia-Express (IAX) undersea cable system will link Hulhumale’ directly with the world’s major internet hubs in India and Singapore. An undersea survey has been conducted prior to laying the cables.
The project will provide international gateway connections to the East and the West, enabling direct integrations from Singapore to Europe while foregoing existing reliance on third-party hubs such as Sri Lanka. The project is expected to serve as a catalyst for digital transformation in the Maldives and strengthen the digital backbone of the nation by laying the foundation for a new digital infrastructure, which will support growth in digital products, services, and data consumption.