Undersea cables are crucial to the global economy and national security.
It's no surprise, then, that governments and regional industry groups are considering how to enhance submarine cable security and resilience.
A new report by TeleGeography and Infra-Analytics outlines the necessary steps to sustain current service levels and minimize repair delays for undersea cables that carry global internet traffic. This includes a comprehensive examination of the regulatory and geopolitical environments that impact cable maintenance and repair.
The authors, TeleGeography Research Director Alan Mauldin, Infra-Analytics Principal Mike Constable, and I key in on several themes:
- Submarine cable infrastructure is gaining attention as part of broader Maritime Domain Awareness and critical infrastructure security issues.
- Government focus on secure and resilient network infrastructure is expanding to include cable maintenance, repair capacity, and capability.
- There's a need for improved, consistent collaboration between governments and the submarine cable industry.
- Some governments are actively considering sovereign repair capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign entities.
How do governments influence cable maintenance and repair?
Governments influence cable maintenance and repair in several ways. This reflects a significant shift from a period of "benign neglect" to acute awareness of submarine cables as vital critical infrastructure for economic prosperity and national security. The evolution is driven by escalating economic, strategic, and national security concerns, often linked to broader maritime security issues.
As such, government scrutiny is expanding to include repair capabilities in risk analysis frameworks and policies, with potential measures including restrictions on ownership or operational criteria of repair vessels, review of contracted maintenance arrangements, cybersecurity protection for repair vessels, and minimum levels of strategic spare cables.
Further, there's an expanding government focus on cable maintenance and repair capacity. Reports, particularly from the EU, highlight that repair capabilities within Europe are limited, and legal regulations for repair activities aren't harmonized—a key and often neglected vulnerability.
In response, many governments are actively seeking to enhance their repair capacities and address bottlenecks in maintenance vessels, as well as the availability of equipment and the shortage of specialized workers.
How are governments and regional industry groups working together to maintain and secure cables?
This new report recognizes a "chronic disconnect" between industry and government, stemming from conflicting national security and commercial interests.
While industry bodies aim to ensure informed policy, challenges persist due to the transnational nature of submarine cable infrastructure and a varying degree of understanding of cable maintenance among government groups.
For example, the authors of this new report highlight a gap in government regulations and guidelines addressing cybersecurity protection for the repair fleet, with responsibility falling on fleet owners, and IMO regulations only applying to new vessels from 2025.
How are countries collaborating on cable maintenance and repair?
While this new paper outlines several key examples, there are two worth extracting to answer this question.
Let's start with the UN, a prime example of government collaboration in this sector. As early as 2010, the UN General Assembly described fiber optic undersea cables as "vitally important."
In 2024, during the UN General Assembly, the U.S. hosted a meeting with over thirty nations, resulting in the "New York Principles on Undersea Cables." These principles outline a joint approach to "ensure the security, reliability, interoperability, sustainability, and resiliency for the deployment, repair, and maintenance of undersea cable infrastructure.
The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research has also produced reports in 2023 and 2025, with the latest report considering marine maintenance as a key part of network resilience and restorative capacities.
Additionally, it's also worth noting the ITU Advisory Body. Formed in 2024 in collaboration with the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), this body reflects the unique role and risks of submarine cables within the international telecommunications ecosystem.
Composed of 40 government and industry figures, it aims to "serve as a platform for international multistakeholder collaboration to identify, develop, and promote government and industry best practices for submarine cable resilience."
Goals publicized after its foundational summit in February 2025 include:
- Strengthening cable protection through risk mitigation
- Promoting diverse routes and landings to enhance resilience and continuity
- Facilitating timely deployment and repair
Can governments repair and maintain submarine cables independently?
Sovereign repair capabilities are indeed evolving.
Several governments are actively considering developing their own cable repair capabilities to reduce reliance on foreign entities and private markets, driven by concerns over slow industry investment in repair assets and national security.
This includes the EU exploring public-private models for funding vessels, India's initiative to invest in an Indian-owned maintenance vessel, Australia assessing supply chain risks, and Japan planning subsidies to bolster sovereign capabilities.
Maintaining the World's Subsea Cables
Meeting the challenges of the rapidly expanding submarine cable ecosystem and an aging cable ship fleet will require an investment of roughly $3 billion to sustain current service levels and avoid repair delays. This would entail the acquisition of 15 replacement ships and five additional ships to serve the global subsea internet infrastructure.
Download the full Future of Submarine Cable Maintenance report here.
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About TeleGeography
TeleGeography is a telecommunications data provider delivering trusted, independent analysis to telecom service providers, large enterprises, government agencies, and other research firms. Since 1989, telecom decision-makers have turned to TeleGeography for unbiased industry data that helps them gain a competitive advantage.
About Infra-Analytics
Infra-Analytics is a boutique strategic advisory consultancy serving investment banks, private equity, infrastructure funds and other organisations within the digital infrastructure and subsea cable industry sector.
Alan Mauldin
Alan Mauldin is a Research Director at TeleGeography. He manages the company’s infrastructure research group, focusing primarily on submarine cables, terrestrial networks, international Internet infrastructure, and bandwidth demand modeling. He also advises clients with due diligence analysis, feasibility studies, and business plan development for projects around the world. Alan speaks frequently about the global network industry at a wide range of conferences, including PTC, Submarine Networks World, and SubOptic.
Lane Burdette
Lane Burdette is a Research Analyst at TeleGeography. She specializes in internet infrastructure with a focus on submarine cables, data centers, and public policy.
