We are (too) dependent on undersea Internet cables. We summed up some solutions.

Once again an undersea Internet cable has been damaged. Finnish police have discovered a new breach in an Internet cable between Sweden and Finland. Authorities suspect intent and have launched an investigation. Increasingly, we are being caught off guard. We are (too) dependent on undersea Internet cables, and list some innovations that could help.

We hear about it more and more in the news: sabotage or its threat to undersea cables is on the rise. With rising geopolitical tensions, these vital connections are increasingly being targeted. The West suspects Russia of involvement in multiple incidents, while China also sometimes comes into the picture. These cables are critical to our communications, economy and security, making their vulnerability a growing concern. But there are also other causes of damage to the cables. Most of the damage comes from accidents, such as fishing nets dragging across the seabed or ship anchors pulling cables along.

Monitoring cables

With 97% of all communications through these cables, reliable monitoring is more important than ever. Offshore infrastructure - think energy islands, pipelines, and undersea Internet cables - is vulnerable to sabotage. Fiber-optic sensor technology offers an innovative solution to protect these vital systems. Hydrophones are fiber-optic-based devices that detect pressure differences in water. They detect movements of ships or submarines, for example, and send real-time data to security teams. This allows them to respond quickly to potential threats and plan maintenance before problems arise. By installing fiber-optic sensors at cable stations and other critical locations, threats such as sabotage or unauthorized access can be detected in real time.

Multiple cables

The cable industry has taken measures by installing additional cables. If one cable fails, there are always others that can take over the traffic. Moreover, many ships worldwide are ready to repair damaged cables. Still, laying spare cables remains an expensive and time-consuming job. It can take more than a year to lay a new cable, and the cost often runs into hundreds of millions of euros.

Satellites instead of cables

In the future, we may not even need submarine cables. Lasers enable Internet connections via satellites and could soon replace the need for submarine cables. Optical data communication lasers can transmit dozens of terabits per second even under heavy air disturbances. Scientists at ETH Zurich and their European partners demonstrated this with lasers between the mountain peak Jungfraujoch and the city of Bern in Switzerland. This technology may eliminate the need for expensive submarine cables.

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