Tata Communications to Invest Up to $450 Million in AI Network
The Tata Group company plans about 10,000 km of new fibre linking India's AI and data centre hubs.
Key Takeaways
- Tata Communications plans to invest up to about $450 million.
- The network will cover about 10,000 km of new fibre linking India's data centre and AI hubs.
- It will add about 6 Pbps of capacity between FY30 and FY36, in three phases.
- The first phase covers the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai corridor.
- Reports say the build will be paid for from operating cash flows.
Tata Communications plans to invest up to about $450 million to build an AI-ready fibre network across India. The company announced the plan on 26 October 2026.
The network will run for about 10,000 km and connect the country's main data centre and AI hubs. It will link to the company's global network and add about 6 petabits per second (Pbps) of capacity.
Tata Communications AI network at a glance
| Detail | Tata Communications |
|---|---|
| Planned investment | Up to about $450 million (the company gave a range of $400 million to $450 million) |
| New fibre | About 10,000 km of long-haul fibre across India |
| Capacity added | About 6 Pbps, on top of about 1.25 Pbps on the current India network |
| Period over which capacity is added | FY30 to FY36 |
| How it is paid for | Operating cash flows, according to reports |
| First phase | Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai corridor |
| Later phases | Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Jamnagar and GIFT City |
| Customers it targets | Hyperscalers, AI platforms, neocloud providers, global capability centres and enterprises |
How the 10,000 km network will be built in three phases
The build is split into three phases. The first phase covers the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai corridor. Later phases will extend to data centre clusters on the east coast and in western India, including Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Jamnagar and GIFT City.
The company said the new routes will link these clusters with international cable landing stations. The extra capacity is due to arrive between the 2030 and 2036 financial years.
What Tata Communications already runs
Tata Communications is part of the Tata Group. It sells network and connectivity services to businesses. The new routes will join its existing network, which spans about 700,000 km of subsea and land fibre.
The company says the network is for global hyperscalers, AI platforms, neocloud providers, global capability centres and enterprises that need high-speed links between data centres.
Tata Communications' network work so far
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 2025 | Tata Communications said it would build a network linking Amazon Web Services sites in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai |
| 26 October 2026 | The company announced the plan for about 10,000 km of new AI-ready fibre |
Rupesh Chokshi on why AI needs a network built for scale
"The AI economy needs more than compute. It needs a network built for speed, scale and resilience."
What Tata Communications says the network will connect
The company said the first phase will focus on the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai corridor and that later phases will reach Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Jamnagar and GIFT City.
Where Tata Communications' India network stands after the AI plan
Tata Communications' current India network has about 1.25 Pbps of capacity, and the planned 10,000 km of new fibre is due to add about 6 Pbps between FY30 and FY36. The new routes will join a network that already spans about 700,000 km of subsea and land fibre. The company said the first phase will cover the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai corridor, with later phases reaching Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Jamnagar and GIFT City.
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