iWorld
Laying of data transmitting submarine Asia Direct Cable completed
MUMBAI: After a gap of almost eight years, a new intra-Asia undersea cable has just been readied for operation connecting China (Hong Kong SAR), Japan, and Singapore .The Asia Direct Cable (ADC) submarine cable is owned by the ADC Consortium and consists of multiple pairs of high-capacity optical fibers. It is designed to handle over 160 tbps of traffic, allowing for the efficient transmission of data across east and southeast Asia.
The ADC is a global consortium comprised of leading communications and technology companies, including NT (Thailand), China Telecom, China Unicom, PLDT Inc, Singtel, SoftBank Cor., Tata Communications and Viettel.
It will be providing essential infrastructure to meet the growing demand for data transmission in the region and creates new opportunities for communication and society’s future.
This milestone marks a crucial step in supporting the increasing communication needs of Asia and the world. It represents the culmination of collaborative efforts and partnerships with stakeholders from various countries.
“This new cable marks a significant milestone, providing a vital foundation to support the ever-growing communications needs of Asia and the world. The milestone represents the culmination of our efforts to overcome numerous challenges, made possible through steadfast collaboration and partnerships with esteemed stakeholders from various countries, including NEC. We are confident that this cable system will significantly contribute to the development of the AI industry in the Asia region,” said ADC Consortium chairperson Koji Ishii.
“The consortium is extremely satisfied with the successful completion of this cable,” said ADC Consortium co-chairperson Billy Li. “It offers the greatest cable capacity and essential diversity required for Asia’s major information hubs, enabling telecom carriers and service providers to optimize their network and service planning for sustainable growth.”
iWorld
T20 World Cup ’26: India–England semi-final sets global streaming record of 619 million views on JioHotstar
India–England semi-final records 65.2 million peak streams
MUMBAI: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set a new milestone in global sports streaming, as the India–England semi-final drew record digital audiences on JioHotstar.
The match on 5 March registered 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers, the highest ever recorded for a live event on any streaming platform worldwide. The semi-final also generated 619 million views, making it the most streamed T20 international match in history.
The landmark audience numbers were driven largely by viewers in India, setting a record achieved within a single market, rather than through aggregated viewership across multiple countries.
The high-scoring encounter between India national cricket team and England cricket team produced 499 runs across both innings, fuelling widespread fan engagement across platforms.
According to the International Cricket Council, the digital record surpassed the previous global benchmark of 65 million concurrent viewers, set in November 2024 by another international streaming platform.
Across television and digital platforms combined, the semi-final reached more than 320 million viewers, while total watch time exceeded 23 billion minutes, making it the most watched T20 international match ever.
“This World Cup demonstrates the immense passion of cricket fans and the progress made in bringing the game closer to audiences worldwide,” said ICC chairman Jay Shah.
“This moment reflects the scale of cricket fandom in India and the technological capability required to serve hundreds of millions of viewers simultaneously.”
JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar, said the audience surge underscored the future of large-scale digital entertainment.
“One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the second semi-final. Delivering such an experience at scale requires the very best of technology,” he said.
The 619 million views during the match also eclipsed the 533 million views recorded during the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
With the final yet to be played, the 2026 tournament has already set multiple benchmarks in audience reach and digital engagement.
India will face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final on 8 March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
