International Body Launched to Help Protect Submarine Telecoms Cables

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies, and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) have today formed a new ‘International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience‘, which comes hot on the heels of an ongoing dispute after two fibre optic cables were cut in the Baltic Sea last week.

Just to recap. Two subsea fibre optic cables, one linking Finland and Germany, and the other connecting Sweden to Lithuania, were damaged in less than 24 hours between 17th and 18th November 2024. The finger of suspicion soon cast its way toward the Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, which was outbound from St. Petersburg (Russia) in the Baltic and was in the vicinity of both breaks at around the same time.

The damage itself is suspected to have been caused after the Yi Peng 3 allegedly dropped and dragged its anchor across the seabed for more than 100 miles over both cables (something the captain should have noticed), with some investigators suspecting that the damage was deliberate (maritime maps normally reference cable locations, precisely to avoid this).

Whatever the reason, the ongoing incident has helped to highlight the vulnerability of these most vital of links. Damage to submarine cables is, however, not uncommon, with an average of 150 to 200 faults occurring globally each year and requiring about three cable repairs per week, according to the ICPC – it usually takes a few weeks to fix a break, but this depends upon the type of break, depth, weather conditions and various other factors.

Today most cable breaks occur due to accidents by deep sea fishing trawlers, as well as ships accidentally dragging their anchor over them, abrasion, equipment failure or marine life deciding to take a nibble (the latter is only really an issue for smaller / older cables that haven’t been buried).

In addition, US and UK intelligence officials have repeatedly highlighted the potential vulnerability of such cables to actions by hostile states. But whatever the cause of a given break, the new Advisory Body will aim to improve cable resilience by promoting best practices for governments and industry players to ensure the timely deployment and repair of submarine cables, reduce the risks of damage, and enhance the continuity of related communications.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General, said:

“Submarine cables carry over 99 per cent of international data exchanges, making their resilience a global imperative. The Advisory Body will mobilize expertise from around the world to ensure this vital digital infrastructure remains resilient in the face of disasters, accidents, and other risks.”

However, it’s worth remembering that cutting lots of transatlantic fibre optic cables within the same time window (i.e. what you’d have to do to cause a much more serious disruption), while a risk, is something that would be very difficult to completely prevent and carry out. The same sort of attack could similarly then be used against an aggressor.

The fact that so much international trade is carried over the internet also means that other countries are likely to be harmed by such an activity, which in a conflict may include the attacking state (i.e. directly or indirectly). But for now, the greatest danger to such cables still seems to be maritime negligence.

Finally, the Advisory Body’s 40 members include Ministers, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, industry executives, and senior experts on the operations of telecommunication cables from across the world. The body will meet at least two times a year and the first virtual meeting is scheduled for December 2024. The first physical meeting is currently scheduled to take place during the Submarine Cable Resilience Summit, planned for late February 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria.