Raman

Overview

The Raman submarine cable system is a planned undersea communications network spanning approximately 7,376 kilometers. It is designed to connect five countries: Djibouti, India, Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Scheduled to be ready for service in 2026, Raman will traverse key maritime regions, including the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean. This cable aims to enhance connectivity across East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia, regions that are critical for global data traffic between Europe, Asia, and Africa. By linking strategic locations, Raman is set to play a significant role in supporting the growing demand for reliable, high-capacity internet infrastructure in these regions.

Route and Landings

The Raman cable system features six landing points distributed across five countries. In Djibouti, the cable terminates at Djibouti City, a major telecommunications hub at the confluence of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In India, the landing point is in Mumbai, a key gateway for international data traffic on the western coast. Jordan is connected via Aqaba, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, providing an important link for the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Oman hosts two landing points: Barka, situated on the northern coast near the capital Muscat, and Salalah, located in the southern part of the country. This dual landing arrangement offers redundancy and enhances network reliability within Oman. Saudi Arabia is connected through Duba, a coastal city along the Red Sea that serves as a critical node for the country’s data connectivity. Together, these landing points form a network that bridges continents and facilitates data exchange across some of the most economically and strategically significant regions of the world.

Ownership and History

The Raman cable system is jointly owned by Google, Sparkle, and Zain Omantel International. Google, a global technology leader, has been increasingly investing in submarine cable infrastructure to support its cloud services and global data needs. Sparkle, the international services arm of Telecom Italia, operates one of the largest global telecommunications networks, with a strong presence in Europe and the Mediterranean. Zain Omantel International is a collaboration between Zain Group, a leading telecommunications provider in the Middle East, and Omantel, Oman’s largest telecom operator, reflecting the strategic importance of the Gulf region in global connectivity.

The cable is scheduled to be ready for service in 2026. Its development comes at a time of increasing demand for high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity across the regions it serves. Raman is expected to complement existing submarine cable systems in the area, such as SeaMeWe-6, 2Africa, AAE-1, EIG, and the PEACE Cable, which collectively form a dense network of undersea cables in this high-traffic corridor.

What Our Measurements Show

Our live monitoring of the Raman cable system has measured 185 distinct data corridors, providing insights into its performance across its multi-country route. The best recorded round-trip time (RTT) is 53 milliseconds, while the average RTT across all measured paths is 187 milliseconds. These metrics reflect the cable’s ability to efficiently handle data traffic over long distances and across diverse geographic regions.

The cable’s route through the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean is strategically significant. By connecting six landing points in five countries, Raman is positioned to serve as a vital link for data exchange between the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia. The inclusion of dual landing points in Oman enhances the system’s resilience, while its relatively compact 7,376-kilometer length suggests a focus on regional connectivity rather than transcontinental spans. The cable’s performance metrics indicate its potential to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity, meeting the needs of businesses, governments, and individuals in the regions it serves.