en.Wedoany.com Reported - The International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience recently approved a final report on enhancing the resilience of submarine communications cables. Submarine communications cables carry over 99% of global data traffic and serve as the core infrastructure supporting critical services such as international communications and finance.
Cable disruptions caused by human activities and natural disasters can impact government and industry operations, as well as individuals' access to education, healthcare, and banking services. The report identifies key challenges to submarine cable resilience, including high exposure to physical risks, increasing repair times, high geographic concentration of infrastructure, and heavy reliance on a small number of cable systems by many countries, particularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and other underserved regions.
The report further elaborates on recommendations reached by the Advisory Body earlier this year in three key areas: timely deployment and repair; risk identification, monitoring, and mitigation; and promoting connectivity and geographic diversity. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), stated that the world depends on connectivity, and these reports provide a practical roadmap for maintaining the reliability of submarine networks, reflecting the shared commitment of governments, industry, international organizations, academia, and other stakeholders.
By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives from the submarine cable ecosystem, the report provides a common reference for supporting international cooperation, guiding policy development, and enhancing the resilience of one of the world's most critical digital infrastructure systems.
The report highlights several priority actions, including strengthening coordination between governments and industry, streamlining regulatory and licensing processes, improving risk identification and monitoring, increasing route diversity and infrastructure redundancy, enhancing preparedness and response capabilities, addressing the needs of vulnerable regions, and integrating climate and environmental considerations. Sandra Maximiano, Chair of the Portuguese National Communications Authority (ANACOM) and Co-Chair of the Advisory Body, noted that the work of the Advisory Body demonstrates that diverse stakeholders, united by a common goal, can transform global challenges into shared solutions.
H.E. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Advisory Body, stated that the report represents a significant milestone in enhancing the resilience of this critical infrastructure through strengthened international cooperation, practical policy guidance, and shared responsibility. The International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience was jointly established in 2024 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC). ITU Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas and ICPC Legal Counsel Kent Bressie serve as Executive Secretaries. The adoption of the report marks the completion of the Advisory Body's two-year work plan, including summits held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2025 and earlier this year in Porto, Portugal. The Advisory Body's final meeting took place on July 10 during the ITU 2026 World Summit on the Information Society Forum (WSIS Forum 2026).
