International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), the leading industry organization promoting submarine cable protection, have formed an International Advisory Body to look after the resilience of submarine cables. 

Objective 

The International Advisory Body will suggest ways to improve cable resilience by promoting best practices to be adopted by governments and industry players. It would be concerned with issues like timely deployment and repair of submarine cables, reducing the risk of damage, and ensuring regular connectivity over the wires. 

Significance 

Submarine cables are the cornerstone of global communications. These carry around 90 percent of the global internet traffic facilitating critical services like financial transactions, cloud computing, and government communications. 

It enables global connectivity and facilitates economic and non-economic stability around the world thus bringing in a plethora of value to the global community.  

The International Advisory Body

The International Advisory Body comprises 40 members including Ministers, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, industry executives, and senior experts on the operations of telecommunication cables. It includes members from across the world ensuring diversity and inclusion. This would also ensure equal say as the Internet becomes more of a common phenomenon among the public worldwide. 

The International Advisory Body is co-chaired by H.E. Minister Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Prof. Sandra Maximiano, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Communications Authority of the Republic of Portugal (ANACOM).  Mr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India will be representing India in the advisory body. 

It has been mandated that the International Advisory Body will meet at least twice a year. The first virtual meeting of the same is scheduled in December and the First physical meeting is scheduled for February 2025. 

India’s contribution to submarine cable infrastructure

India holds a pivotal position in the global submarine cable network, hosting approximately 17 international subsea cables spread across 14 landing stations in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, Cochin, Tuticorin, and Trivandrum. By the end of 2022, the total lit capacity of these cables reached 138.606 Tbps, with an activated capacity of 111.111 Tbps.

Key Indian telecom operators involved in this infrastructure include:

• Tata Communications: Operates five cable landing stations in Mumbai, Chennai, and Cochin.
• Global Cloud eXchange (formerly Reliance Globalcom): Manages landing stations in Mumbai and Trivandrum.
• Reliance Jio: Operates stations in Chennai and Mumbai, with additional projects in progress.
• Bharti Airtel: Runs stations in Chennai and Mumbai, facilitating the 2Africa/EMIC-1 and SEA-ME-WE 6 cables.
• Sify Technologies and BSNL: Engage in the operation of various cable landing stations.
• Vodafone and IOX: Vodafone is active in the network, while IOX plans to establish a new cable landing station in Puducherry.

Annual deployment 

Around 200,000 km of new submarine cables were installed in the year 2024, and similar growth is expected to persist over the next years enabling better services and diversified offerings. As the sea is home to trade, fishing, and many other economic and non-economical activities, it poses great challenges for the global community to be witnessed and addressed. 

More than 200 cable repairs were reported in 2023 by the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) which boils down to roughly 3 cable failures per week on average. 

Major causes of damage 

The primary causes of damage include accidental human activity, such as fishing and anchoring, alongside natural hazards, abrasion, and equipment failure. 

Graham Evans, ICPC Chair 

“The formation of this International Advisory Body with ITU marks another step toward safeguarding our global digital infrastructure," remarked Graham Evans as he counted upon the significance of the International Advisory Body. “By working together, we can promote best practices, foster international collaboration, and create a consistent approach to protect the vital submarine cable networks that underpin global connectivity," he added.