[Podcast] The politics of undersea cables

In this episode of PING, APNIC Chief Scientist Geoff Huston explores the complex landscape of undersea cables. These systems have long carried strategic significance - communication and its interception have been constants since the dawn of writing. Linking two sovereign entities by telegraph wire has, from the very beginning, raised questions of ownership and jurisdiction.

Once the basic physics of running long-distance wires to form an electric circuit were mastered, telegraph services quickly became essential to economic and intelligence operations. This is why, at the outbreak of both World War I and World War II, the British Navy cut the submarine cables linking Europe to the rest of the world. Forcing communications onto radio made it possible to intercept transmissions - and, with some luck and clever minds, decipher them.

Modern fibre-optic communications are no different in this regard. Many cases of cable damage have simple explanations, as shallow waters near landing sites and heavy trawler activity account for much of it. However, there is growing evidence that some actors are also disrupting fibre networks by deliberately breaking links. Increasingly, some are seeking to control which equipment suppliers, from the physical fibre to the active routing systems, are permitted at their landing points. These choices are now shaping investment flows and the routes taken by subsea fibre systems, driven by competing pressures.

This episode of PING examines the design and limitations of submarine cable systems, along with the current and emerging networks across the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

Read more about submarine cables in the Asia Pacific region and around the world on the APNIC Blog:

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