CNA Explains: Subsea cables and why it matters when they're damaged

CNA12-06

SINGAPORE: In November, two telecommunications cables were cut in the Baltic Sea in a span of 48 hours, prompting suspicions of "sabotage" and "hybrid warfare". The severing was reportedly linked to a...

Source Link

Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Comments

We need your insight to fill this gap

Leave a comment

{"i18n":{"language":"en_US"},"isChannel":false,"data":{"share":"https://ttm.financial/m/news/2489412294?lang=en_US&edition=fundamental","thumbnail":"https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--2XX6Sb8g--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/12/03/istock-1362710800.jpg?itok=BL3-_svW","is_english":true,"pubTime":"2024-12-06 06:00","share_image_url":"https://static.laohu8.com/e9f99090a1c2ed51c021029395664489","id":"2489412294","market":"sg","top_or_hot":-1,"title":"CNA Explains: Subsea cables and why it matters when they're damaged","media":"CNA","content":"<div>\n<p>SINGAPORE: In November, two telecommunications cables were cut in the Baltic Sea in a span of 48 hours, prompting suspicions of \"sabotage\" and \"hybrid warfare\".\nThe severing was reportedly linked to a...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/subsea-cables-cna-explains-undersea-internet-baltic-4783801\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n","source":"can_highlight","html":"<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html>\n<head>\n<meta http-equiv=\"Content-Type\" content=\"text/html; charset=utf-8\" />\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0,minimum-scale=1.0,maximum-scale=1.0,user-scalable=no\"/>\n<meta name=\"format-detection\" content=\"telephone=no,email=no,address=no\" />\n<title>CNA Explains: Subsea cables and why it matters when they're damaged</title>\n<style type=\"text/css\">\na,abbr,acronym,address,applet,article,aside,audio,b,big,blockquote,body,canvas,caption,center,cite,code,dd,del,details,dfn,div,dl,dt,\nem,embed,fieldset,figcaption,figure,footer,form,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6,header,hgroup,html,i,iframe,img,ins,kbd,label,legend,li,mark,menu,nav,\nobject,ol,output,p,pre,q,ruby,s,samp,section,small,span,strike,strong,sub,summary,sup,table,tbody,td,tfoot,th,thead,time,tr,tt,u,ul,var,video{ font:inherit;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align:baseline;border:0 }\nbody{ font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; color:#999; background:transparent; }\n.wrapper{ overflow:hidden;word-break:break-all;padding:10px; }\nh1,h2{ font-weight:normal; line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:.6em; }\nh3,h4,h5,h6{ line-height:1.35; margin-bottom:1em; }\nh1{ font-size:24px; }\nh2{ font-size:20px; }\nh3{ font-size:18px; }\nh4{ font-size:16px; }\nh5{ font-size:14px; }\nh6{ font-size:12px; }\np,ul,ol,blockquote,dl,table{ margin:1.2em 0; }\nul,ol{ margin-left:2em; }\nul{ list-style:disc; }\nol{ list-style:decimal; }\nli,li p{ margin:10px 0;}\nimg{ max-width:100%;display:block;margin:0 auto 1em; }\nblockquote{ color:#B5B2B1; border-left:3px solid #aaa; padding:1em; }\nstrong,b{font-weight:bold;}\nem,i{font-style:italic;}\ntable{ width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:1px;margin:1em 0;font-size:.9em; }\nth,td{ padding:5px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #aaa; }\nth{ font-weight:bold;background:#5d5d5d; }\n.symbol-link{font-weight:bold;}\n/* header{ border-bottom:1px solid #494756; } */\n.title{ margin:0 0 8px;line-height:1.3;color:#ddd; }\n.meta {color:#5e5c6d;font-size:13px;margin:0 0 .5em; }\na{text-decoration:none; color:#2a4b87;}\n.meta .head { display: inline-block; overflow: hidden}\n.head .h-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border-radius: 50%; float: left;}\n.head .h-content { margin: 0; padding: 0 0 0 9px; float: left;}\n.head .h-name {font-size: 13px; color: #eee; margin: 0;}\n.head .h-time {font-size: 11px; color: #7E829C; margin: 0;line-height: 11px;}\n.small {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.9); -webkit-transform: scale(0.9); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.smaller {font-size: 12.5px; display: inline-block; transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8); transform-origin: left; -webkit-transform-origin: left;}\n.bt-text {font-size: 12px;margin: 1.5em 0 0 0}\n.bt-text p {margin: 0}\n</style>\n</head>\n<body>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<header>\n<h2 class=\"title\">\nCNA Explains: Subsea cables and why it matters when they're damaged\n</h2>\n\n<h4 class=\"meta\">\n\n\n2024-12-06 06:00 GMT+8&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/subsea-cables-cna-explains-undersea-internet-baltic-4783801><strong>CNA</strong></a>\n\n\n</h4>\n\n</header>\n<article>\n<div>\n<p>SINGAPORE: In November, two telecommunications cables were cut in the Baltic Sea in a span of 48 hours, prompting suspicions of \"sabotage\" and \"hybrid warfare\".\nThe severing was reportedly linked to a...</p>\n\n<a href=\"https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/subsea-cables-cna-explains-undersea-internet-baltic-4783801\">Source Link</a>\n\n</div>\n\n\n</article>\n</div>\n</body>\n</html>\n","isBrief":false,"type":0,"news_type":1,"symbol":"CII","symbol_name":"CII基金","start_time":0,"source_url":"https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/subsea-cables-cna-explains-undersea-internet-baltic-4783801","article_id":"2489412294","we_media_id":null,"thumbnails":["https://onecms-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/s--2XX6Sb8g--/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830/f_auto,q_auto/v1/mediacorp/cna/image/2024/12/03/istock-1362710800.jpg?itok=BL3-_svW"],"rights":null,"url":"https://stock-news.laohu8.com/highlight/detail?id=2489412294","pubTimestamp":1733436000,"columns":[],"sourceInfo":{"source_id":"can_highlight","name":"CNA"},"weMediaInfo":null,"summary":"A look at why cable disruptions seem to be happening more frequently, and what's at stake for Southeast Asia and Singapore.","collect":0,"end_time":0,"defaultTopTitle":"channelnewsasia.com","property":[],"viewcount":null,"language":"en","relate_stocks":{"CII":"CII基金","BK4107":"财产与意外伤害保险","CNA":"CAN金融","5GC.SI":"斯恩威"},"translate_title":"CNA解释：海底电缆及其损坏时的重要性","themeId":null,"isJumpTheme":false,"ttsUrl":null,"symbols_score_info":{"5GC.SI":1,"CII":1,"CNA":1},"content_text":"SINGAPORE: In November, two telecommunications cables were cut in the Baltic Sea in a span of 48 hours, prompting suspicions of \"sabotage\" and \"hybrid warfare\".\nThe severing was reportedly linked to a Chinese ship. Beijing has said it's ready to assist in the investigation, while Russia has denied involvement.\nA similar incident occurred last year when a Chinese vessel damaged - in a post-facto admission - an undersea data cable connecting Estonia to Sweden.\nSince 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, there have been at least three incidents of possible sabotage to the dozens of telecommunication cables that run along the Baltic seabed.\nWhat are subsea or undersea cables?\nThey are fibre-optic lines laid on the ocean floor, to transmit multiple terabits of data per second between continents. \nThey are said to be as thick as garden hoses, with diameters ranging from 2cm to 5cm or more, depending on whether there's additional protective armour.\nAccording to TeleGeography, a telecommunications market research company, there are more than 600 active and planned cables globally.\nThese cables are typically designed to last at least 25 years.\nThey were traditionally owned and operated by telecommunication carriers forming consortiums with parties interested in using the cables.\nOver time, more private companies have invested in the infrastructure and today, the big tech likes of Meta, Google, Microsoft and Amazon are either individually or jointly operating subsea cables.\n\n\n\n\nWhy are they important?\nSubsea cables are seen as critical information and telecommunications technology. \nOften described as the \"backbone of the global internet\", they can carry more than 99 per cent of the world's data traffic, including email, webpages and video calls.\nThey also transmit more data at a lower cost compared to satellites.\nSensitive government communications also rely heavily on subsea infrastructure, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).\nThe United States-based think-tank also noted that subsea cables have helped increase access to high-speed internet worldwide, and thus fuelled economic growth. \nHow is a cable installed, and what happens when it's cut?\nFirst, seabed surveys are conducted to map out routes for the cables.\nA specially-rigged ship then carefully unspools and lays out the cable.\nCables nearer to shores are buried under the seabed for protection from fishing trawlers or anchors. \nBut in the deep sea, they are laid directly on the seabed.\nDamage to subsea cables is relatively common, with up to 150 severed each year, mostly from fishing equipment or anchors, said CSIS.\nThe impact can vary. A BBC report noted that many countries have more cables than what's minimally required, so even if some are damaged, they can still rely on the others.\nHowever there are times when internet service can be disrupted due to cable cuts, as was the case in East Africa in May. \nApart from physical armour, electronic monitoring systems are also used to safeguard cables.\nThe systems can detect changes or anomalies in the seabed environment and alert operators of potential harm, CSIS noted.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhy are disruptions happening more frequently?\nIt's more the case that there's now more attention on these incidents due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and tensions in the Taiwan Strait, said Ms Asha Hemrajani, a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). \nAll the same, such geopolitical tensions across multiple hotspots are likely a key factor in some recent subsea cable disruptions, she said.\nMs Hemrajani cited examples such as the Taiwan's outlying Matsu Islands, which had its internet cables severed by Chinese ships early in 2023. \nThen there is also the technology rivalry between the US and China, with mistrust spilling over to other key sectors including subsea cables, she noted.\nOther hotspots include parts of Europe, as well as the Middle East.\nLong-simmering tensions in the South China Sea - most of which Beijing claims - have also affected subsea cables, particularly the process of laying them out.\nFor example, the shortest route for a cable from Singapore and Japan would be through the massive body of water.\n\"But various cable operators have mentioned that it’s been getting difficult to get permits from China to lay the cables,\" said Ms Hemrajani. \"The Chinese government has been particularly slow in giving these permits - slow to the degree that some companies have selected alternate routes.\"\nThis increases the time and cost of laying the subsea cables. A longer route also means lower speeds, she added. \nWhat are global efforts to protect the cables?\nThere are several international organisations in this space.\nThe International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), for one, was founded back in 1958. It has more than 230 member organisations from over 70 countries, who build, operate and maintain submarine telecommunications and power cable infrastructure.\nThe ICPC also recently joined forces with the International Telecommunication Union to launch a global advisory board, shortly after the Baltic Sea incident.\nAt a United Nations General Assembly in September, a joint statement was also issued to declare collective commitment to the security and resilience of undersea cable infrastructure.\nRecommendations included encouraging operators to have transparent ownership and partnerships. \n\"China believes these particular statements are a way to suppress Chinese companies which operate in the undersea cable space,\" said Ms Hemrajani.\nShe added that this was an important statement for Singapore - which endorsed it - and its status as an open economy highly connected to the rest of the world. \n\n\n\n\nWhat's at stake for Southeast Asia? \nUndersea cables have become increasingly valuable - and vulnerable - for countries in Southeast Asia, said Ms Elina Noor, a senior fellow in the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think-tank.\nShe wrote in a research paper that by virtue of its geographical location, Southeast Asia is a key node in the web of undersea cables around the world, and acts as a communications gateway to North America and Africa.\nBy 2025, an estimated 10 major cable projects in and around Southeast Asia are due to come online to meet growing bandwidth demand.\nMalaysia, Vietnam and Singapore have been ramping up efforts to boost their subsea cable capabilities. \nMalaysia currently has 29 submarine cable networks, including those under construction, and six cable landing stations. By next year, it aims to have the most cables landing in Southeast Asia, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority.\nEarlier this year, Vietnam also unveiled a plan to construct at least 10 new undersea cable routes by 2030, bringing its total to 15.\nAs of 2023, Singapore had 26 subsea cables landed across three sites, with plans underway to double the number of sites and add more cables.\nWhat are challenges faced by Singapore?\nAn RSIS policy report published in May noted that Singapore was \"geographically disadvantaged\" in efforts to protect its cables, by virtue of it being unable to claim the full suite of maritime zones afforded to it under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea due to proximity with neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia.\nAnother significant risk to cables serving Singapore is from damage that occurs in spaces under the sovereignty or jurisdiction of other states, said the paper, which counts Ms Hemrajani among its four expert authors.\nThe report recommended that Singapore designate cables and landing stations as critical information infrastructure (CII), and for companies operating these to be designated as CII service providers.\nThey would then need to notify authorities of any break in service due to deliberate vandalism, acts of war or accidental damage.\nOther suggestions included improving cooperation between agencies, as well as partnerships through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.\n\"Effective protection of subsea cables requires both regional and international cooperation, and cannot be done by Singapore alone,\" the experts wrote.\n\n\n\n\n\nWant an issue or topic explained? Email us at digitalnews [at] mediacorp.com.sg. Your question might become a story on our site.","kind":"highlight","is_publish_news":true,"is_publish_highlight":false,"is_publish_live":false,"is_publish_wemedia":null,"editions":null,"column":"","sentiment":"0","news_tag":"","news_rank":0,"symbols":[],"gpt_button":1},"commentList":[],"isCommentEnd":true,"newsSizeData":{"likeSize":0,"commentSize":0,"repostSize":0,"favoriteSize":0,"likeStatus":false,"favoriteStatus":false},"APP":{"userAgent":"Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)","isDev":false,"isTTM":true,"deviceId":"web-server-community-laohu8-v3","version":"4.29.3","shortVersion":"4.29.3","platform":"web","vendor":"web","appName":"ttm","isIOS":false,"isAndroid":false,"isTiger":false,"isTHS":false,"isWeiXin":false,"isWeiXinMini":false,"isWeiBo":false,"isQQ":false,"isBaiduSwan":false,"isBaiduBox":false,"isDingTalk":false,"isToutiao":false,"isOnePlus":false,"isHuaWei":false,"isXiaomi":false,"isXiaomiWebView":false,"isOppo":false,"isVivo":false,"isSamsung":false,"isMobile":false},"href":"/m/news/2489412294"}