du Announces Strategic Investment in SING Submarine Cable

du confirms investment and landing partnership in the SING cable, strengthening Indo-Pacific connectivity as data demand surges

17 Feb 2026

Most of the world’s internet traffic travels unseen, along cables laid quietly on the ocean floor. du, a telecoms operator in the United Arab Emirates, wants a firmer grip on one of the next big routes. It has announced a strategic investment in the Singapore-India-Gulf (SING) submarine cable and will act as the system’s landing partner in the UAE. The size and terms of its stake, however, remain undisclosed.

The SING cable will link Singapore, India and the Gulf through a high-capacity fibre network. The route is fast becoming a crucial digital corridor. Data flows between Asia and the Middle East are rising sharply, driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital finance and streaming. Governments and firms alike are demanding faster and more reliable connections.

For du, direct participation in a subsea system offers practical advantages. Ownership stakes can provide clearer visibility over long-term capacity, improve resilience and allow greater flexibility in serving wholesale and enterprise clients. In a market where bandwidth prices face steady pressure, securing supply can be as important as expanding demand.

Yet some uncertainties remain. Without disclosure of the commercial structure, it is unclear how governance, investment obligations or capacity rights will be divided among consortium members. Such details often determine whether an investment brings strategic leverage or merely incremental access.

Regional telecoms firms are not alone in pursuing cable projects. Hyperscale cloud providers are building and backing their own networks, reshaping the balance of power in global connectivity. For traditional operators, joining new systems is both defensive and opportunistic, a way to secure relevance as well as revenue.

Submarine cables are capital-intensive and politically sensitive. They require regulatory approval across several jurisdictions and can attract scrutiny over security and resilience. Even so, the long-term outlook is robust. Global internet traffic continues to grow steadily, and route diversity has become a priority for both governments and enterprises.

du’s move signals a desire to anchor itself more firmly in the Indo-Pacific data economy. As digital traffic deepens between Asia and the Gulf, control over infrastructure, rather than simple access to it, may define the next phase of competition.