Over the previous 12 months, the power and significance to guard undersea web cables has elevated considerably following heightened threats of sabotage from hostile nation-states – particularly, the harm performed in December 2024 to the Estlink-2 energy cable connecting Finland and Estonia – a consortium of expertise companies and operators has known as on the European Union (EU), UK and NATO to strengthen their efforts to safeguard Europe’s cross-border networks.

In an open letter – penned by GlobalConnect, Alcatel, Submarine Networks, NKT, Orange, Proximus, Telecom Italia Sparkle, TEF, Vodafone and Telenor – the businesses stated this was a vital time for Europe’s safety and resilience and that subsea cables play an important function in Europe’s connectivity, competitiveness, defence readiness and financial stability.

They added that with the rise in hybrid threats, together with incidents affecting subsea cables within the Baltic and North Sea, the significance of enhanced, coordinated motion to safeguard Europe’s cross-border networks was emphasised.

The signatories of the letter burdened that the EU Action Plan on Cable Security offers a transparent strategy to additional enhance the resilience and safety of subsea cables. The companies affirmed that they have been strongly dedicated to contributing to this dialogue with the European Fee, the UK and the NATO and that globally to ship on the Motion Plan, and that it was essential to interact trade stakeholders and set up a transparent roadmap for implementation.

They stated: “We commend your efforts to strengthen collective defence and defend vital infrastructure. We suggest the EU/EEA and UK authorities in addition to NATO renew their collaboration to deal with this case successfully, along with the trade stakeholders from the EU and from the UK.

“We welcome particularly the reference made to the instrumental side of the Connected Europe Facility (CEF), and the willingness of the European Fee to launch a devoted dialogue with trade notably on the definition of the record of CPEIs, and the necessity for the deployment of surveillance and safety applied sciences for submarine cable infrastructure. Devices of the UK authorities and of NATO might strengthen the momentum if coordinated successfully.”

Fron a technological foundation, the companies famous that funding in superior applied sciences to detect and mitigate harm to subsea cables was vital. They stated such efforts must be supported by funding devices such because the CEF, or the European Defence Fund and that it was of “utmost significance” to substantiate and enhance the price range allotted to digital.

They added that in parallel, the event of further routes, each terrestrial and subsea, will improve redundancy and scale back vulnerability to single factors of failure and that uch facets of resilience must be enhanced within the goals of the CEF.

Going ahead, the companies stated the problem now could be to make sure a excessive degree of safety and resilience throughout Europe constructing on present frameworks such because the NIS2 Directive outlining new guidelines on cyber safety of community and data programs and selling greatest practices.

They concluded: “All the subsea cable ecosystem should be considered vital infrastructure. It’s important to collectively guarantee the suitable degree of safety screening, safety and investments into resilience.

“The repercussions of injury to subsea cables lengthen far past Europe, probably affecting international web and energy infrastructure, worldwide communications, monetary transactions and demanding providers worldwide …Harmonised approaches should be developed for the subsea cables ecosystem, aiming to align safety goals with operational feasibility in addition to a viable enterprise mannequin and based mostly on proportionate and risk-based greatest practices, developed in shut session with trade.

“By partnering with trade, Europe can leverage superior applied sciences and experience to enhance situational consciousness, allow speedy response and strengthen restore capabilities. Simplifying the allowing course of and governance constructions will additional expedite these essential safety measures. Subsea cable safety should be a cornerstone of broader infrastructure safety efforts. By appearing now, we are able to safeguard the networks that underpin our shared future.”