Stamp Details
- Issue Date: December 24, 1981
- Denomination: 100 Paise (₹1.00)
- Size: 29 x 39 mm
- Print Run: 500,000 stamps
- Perforation: Comb 13½
- Design/Theme: Features a map of Southeast Asia/Indian Ocean highlighting the cable route connecting Madras (India) to Penang (Malaysia).
- Philatelic Products: Available as single stamps, mint sheets of 35 stamps, First Day Covers (FDC), and official informational brochures.
Historical Background of IOCOM
- Collaborative Effort: Seven Commonwealth nations—India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and Canada—joined together to lay the subsea system.
- Route & Length: The cable spans 1,350 nautical miles beneath the ocean, running from Marina Beach in Madras (India) to Kuala Muda near Penang (Malaysia).
- Capacity: It provided 480 high-grade telephone circuits, linking India directly into the global submarine telephone cable network for the first time.
- Cost: The total capital investment for the cable system and the Madras gateway complex was approximately ₹30 crores.



