Ashwini Vaishnaw proposes to make Andaman next big hub for global internet data transfer

New Delhi: Union IT and Electronics Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday proposed making Andaman the next big hub for global internet data transfer due to its geographic location.

"Why can't we make Andaman the next big hub for global Internet data transfer? Andaman can actually help Google and every other Internet-based organisation to reach Southeast Asia, to Australia, to a large part of the world, which is today looking at totally new capacity," the minister said while speaking at the Bharat AI Shakti event.

Vaishnaw asked companies to make a link from Vizag to Sittwe in Myanmar to take the cable up to the northeastern states.

"The current connectivity that we are providing via the railway networks, the Railtel network, requires significant augmentation. If we can really go via Myanmar to Mizoram...so that we can take the cable up to the northeastern states because northeastern states require much better connectivity," Vaishnaw said.