The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has approved a global report aimed at strengthening the resilience of submarine telecommunications cables, warning that disruptions to the undersea infrastructure could threaten the global economy, financial systems and access to critical digital services.
The report, adopted on Friday by the International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience, sets out recommendations to help governments, regulators and industry operators better protect the fibre-optic cables that carry more than 99 percent of international internet and data traffic.
Submarine cables form the backbone of the world’s digital infrastructure, enabling international communications, cloud computing, financial transactions and digital services.
Damage to the cables whether caused by natural disasters, fishing activities, ship anchors or sabotage can lead to widespread internet outages, disrupt banking systems and interrupt government and business operations.
The advisory body identified several growing threats to the resilience of the global cable network, including increasing physical risks, lengthy repair times, the concentration of cable routes in a few geographic locations and the dependence of many countries on only one or two international cable systems.
