Dhiraagu has officially launched the SEA-ME-WE 6 (SMW6) submarine cable landing in the Maldives, marking a historic milestone as it becomes the first Maldivian digital service provider to join as a co-owner of a global submarine cable consortium.
The official inaugurating ceremony of SMW6 took place at Hulhumale’ Phase II. The Chief Guest of the function was the Minister of Cities, Local Government and Public Works Adam Shareef Umar. Additionally, special invitees from the government were also present at the event.
Speaking at the event, Minister Adam Shareef Umar praised Dhiraagu for its pivotal role in advancing the nation's digital growth and transformation, both locally and globally. The minister highlighted that the SMW6 submarine cable will provide the Maldives with direct access to multiple internet exchange points, thereby reducing dependency on any single country for global network connectivity.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ismail Rasheed stated that connecting the digital network to the SMW6 submarine cable system is a significant step towards establishing the nation as a global digital hub and increasing the resiliency of the country’s digital backbone. The access to key digital hubs across the world will play a pivotal role in providing higher speeds of digital connectivity, reduce latency and decrease the cost of our internet services in the future. The SMW6 submarine cable system is expected to be completed in early 2026.
In 2021, Dhiraagu entered into a consortium with 16 global telco and techno companies to be a co-owner of this international system. This significant investment by Dhiraagu will provide the Maldives with direct access to key global internet exchange points and data centres, strengthening the country’s international connectivity. It will also improve the quality and resilience of services provided by the company to consumers and businesses, fuelling the future growth of digital services across the country. Dhiraagu continues to spearhead digital transformation, empowering communities to embrace future technological advancements.
The SMW6 submarine cable system is a global super-highway, connecting Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe at eleven countries from Singapore to France with the latest undersea cable technology. The 19,200 km long submarine cable system has a minimum transmission speed of 100Tbps.