Backup satellite: NATO supports project to respond to submarine cable attacks
There are repeated failures of submarine cables. This could disrupt international data connections during conflicts. A project is to investigate countermeasures
The Nord Stream Baltic Sea gas pipeline was destroyed by an act of sabotage. Submarine internet cables could suffer a similar fate. A NATO-funded research project is to examine measures that can be taken in an emergency.
(Image: Schwedische Küstenwache)
The sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines and the failure of several undersea internet cables off Africa have shown this: Damage to underwater pipelines and cables can cause a considerable problem for the economies of affected countries with comparatively little military effort or even just an anchor. The NATO defense alliance is now supporting a research project that aims to mitigate the consequences of the failure of submarine telecommunications cables. If the worst comes to the worst, data traffic could then be redirected to satellites.
According to a report by the US financial news agency Bloomberg, researchers from the USA, Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland are involved in the project. NATO is supporting the HEIST (Hybrid Space and Submarine Architecture to Ensure Information Security of Telecommunications) project, which costs a total of 2.5 million US dollars, with 400,000 euros. Work on the project is set to begin this year. Another project partner is the US satellite company Viasat, which was affected by an attack on satellite modems during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Better localization of damage to submarine cables
According to reports, the scientists want to research various issues and problems. As satellite capacities for data transfers are significantly lower than those of international submarine cables, one of the main objectives will be to restore damaged submarine cables quickly. To this end, methods are to be developed to locate breaks to the meter instead of to the kilometer. The testing of prototypes at an underwater test site in Karlskrona, Sweden, is also likely to focus on making cables more secure.
Considering growing global tensions, NATO fears that countries such as Russia or China could destroy important undersea fiber optic cables in the event of a conflict, as these are also used for military communications. However, previous incidents have shown that fishing boats, seaquakes and other minor events are enough to cut off island states from the outside world, for example. The research results could also help with such events in the future.
Switching automatically in an emergency
In the case of Iceland, one researcher reckons that three to four bombs would be enough to cut the country off from the internet completely. The project also aims to research mechanisms that can automatically reroute Internet routing without interruption. There are also all kinds of legal issues to be clarified.
(mki)
