India, March 30 -- The government has flagged a new vulnerability in India's digital infrastructure, asking telecom companies and subsea cable operators to urgently assess risks to undersea data cables and prepare backup connectivity plans as tensions in West Asia escalate.

This is not a routine review but a precautionary step aimed at preventing disruption to the global internet network that underpins critical services such as banking, cloud computing and digital communications. While alternative routes for routing data into India do exist, they are unlikely to handle full demand if a major disruption occurs. In such a scenario, service quality could deteriorate, potentially affecting businesses and millions of individuals who rely on s...