Europe India Gateway

{{More citations needed|date=May 2024}}{{Infobox submarine communications cable

| cable_name =Europe India Gateway (EIG)

| map =

| owners =18 companies

| landing_points =

Bude, UK
Sesimbra, Portugal
Gibraltar
Marseille, France
Monaco
Tripoli, Libya
Alexandria, Egypt then overland to Suez, Egypt, then submarine again
Jeddah Saudi Arabia
Djibouti
Muscat, Oman
Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Mumbai, India

| technology =

| design_capacity =3.84 terabits per second

| current_capacity =

| length =15,000 km

| topology =

| first_use_date = {{start date and age|df=yes|February 2011}}

}}

Europe India Gateway (EIG) is a submarine communications cable system that connects the U.K., Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, France, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and India.{{cite press release

|url = http://www.lloyds.com/CmsPhoenix/DowJonesArticle.aspx?id=390361

|title = Sixteen Telcos Invest $700M In EIG Cable System

|publisher = Lloyd's / Dow Jones Newswires

|date = 2008-05-07

|access-date = 2009-01-07

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091001231007/http://www.lloyds.com/CmsPhoenix/DowJonesArticle.aspx?id=390361

|archive-date = 2009-10-01

}}

Organization and owners

The EIG is approximately 15,000 kilometres long. It was initially designed to deliver up to 3.84 terabits per second{{cite web

|title=Alcatel-Lucent to Help Build Underwater EIG Cable

|publisher=Technology Marketing Corporation

|date=2008-07-31

|url=http://cable.tmcnet.com/topics/cable/articles/35718-alcatel-lucent-help-build-underwater-eig-cable.htm

|access-date=2009-01-07

}} but was upgraded in 2015 and 2020. The cable system was built by both Alcatel-Lucent and TE Subcom (formerly known as Tyco) and was scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2010. The cable cost $700 million to build, going live in 2011.[http://www.deccanherald.com/content/140938/europe-india-gateway-submarine-cable.html Europe-India Gateway submarine cable launched] Deccan Herald, 24 Feb 2011 The EIG was the first direct high-bandwidth optical fibre system from Britain to India.

The investors in EIG was a consortium of 18 telecoms big companies,{{cite press release

|title = du invests in $700m Europe India Gateway undersea cable system

|publisher = du

|date = 2008-05-08

|url = http://www.ameinfo.com/156133.html

|access-date = 2010-05-01

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606214730/http://www.ameinfo.com/156133.html

|archive-date = 2011-06-06

}} including.

Cable landing points

EIG has cable landing points at:{{Cite web |url=http://europeindiagateway.com/LoginPage.do |title=Europe India Gateway main web page |access-date=2010-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924154157/http://europeindiagateway.com/LoginPage.do |archive-date=2010-09-24 |url-status=dead }}[http://www.cablemap.info/?c=EIG EIG] on Greg's Cable Map

Bude, UK
Sesimbra, Portugal
Gibraltar
Marseille,{{cite web

|title=India to get first direct cable link to the UK

|publisher=iTWire

|date=2008-05-07

|url=http://www.itwire.com/content/view/18079/1154/

|access-date=2009-01-07

|archive-date=2008-12-01

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201203635/http://www.itwire.com/content/view/18079/1154/

|url-status=dead

}} France

Monaco
Tripoli, Libya
Alexandria, Egypt then overland to Suez, Egypt, then submarine again
Jeddah Saudi Arabia
Djibouti
Muscat, Oman
Fujairah,{{cite web

|title=Du joins submarine cable consortium

|publisher=Egypt.com

|date=2008-05-09

|url=http://news.egypt.com/en/200805082519/news/-science-nature/du-joins-submarine-cable-consortium.html

|access-date=2009-01-07

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914015822/http://news.egypt.com/en/200805082519/news/-science-nature/du-joins-submarine-cable-consortium.html

|archive-date=2009-09-14

|url-status=dead

}} United Arab Emirates

Mumbai,{{cite web

|title=Seamless Interconnection

|publisher=Telecom and Networking Communications Today/ADI Media Pvt. Ltd

|date=2008-10-23

|url=http://www.communicationstoday.co.in/news/seamless-interconnection-915-92.html

|access-date=2009-01-07

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914162827/http://www.communicationstoday.co.in/news/seamless-interconnection-915-92.html

|archive-date=2009-09-14

|url-status=dead

}} India

In February 2020, Ciena announced it had completed a major upgrade to the cable to boost capacity for international business traffic, adding 24.3 Tbit/s of information carrying capacity, with a spectral efficiency increase of 52%. The EIG can now transport up to 400 Gbit/s per wavelength, driving more capacity per channel at longer distances.{{cite web | url=https://omnisperience.com/2020/02/19/the-eig-increases-capacity-using-cienas-geomesh-solution/ | title=The EIG increases capacity using Ciena's GeoMesh solution | publisher=Omnisperience | date=19 February 2020}}

Outages and incidents

In March 2013, the EIG cable was cut near Egypt.[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cable-snap-off-egypt-coast-to-slow-down-internet-traffic/1095101/0 Cable snap off Egypt coast to slow down internet traffic] ENS Economic Bureau : New Delhi, Sat 30 Mar 2013 A few days later the I-ME-WE and SEA-ME-WE 4 cable was also cut near Egypt, supposedly by divers.Kirk, Jeremy (2013-03-27). [http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237946/Sabotage_suspected_in_Egypt_submarine_cable_cut Sabotage suspected in Egypt submarine cable cut] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925173638/http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9237946/Sabotage_suspected_in_Egypt_submarine_cable_cut |date=2013-09-25 }}. ComputerWorld, 27 March 2013

In February 2018, The Sunday Times reported that the infrastructure for the UK landing site of the Apollo, GLO-1 and Europe India Gateway cables had been found almost entirely unprotected. Their reporter was able to reach the premises without being challenged, and found the door to the generator room unlocked and left ajar. Vodafone, who manage the facility, said that he had not reached critical equipment and "would not have been able to interrupt the operation of the facility."{{cite news | newspaper = The Sunday Times | date = 4 February 2018 | title = Data-cable security scandal: It's easier to enter than a public library | author = Gabriel Pogrund | page = 9 }}