A new report suggests Australia can leverage its geography and political stability to become a key undersea cable hub in the Indo-Pacific, mitigating regional security and economic risks.
Beijing accused Washington of "politicizing" global undersea cable networks after reports of a US plan to spend $175.8 million to replace ageing lines in the Caribbean and Central America, aiming to block Chinese involvement. China warned this move threatens the broader digital economy and global data connectivity.
Less than 30% of Earth's ocean floor is mapped to modern standards, a stark contrast to Mars' fully mapped surface. The Seabed 2030 project has increased coverage to 28.7% since 2017, but vast areas remain unknown, impacting tsunami forecasting, internet cables, climate models, and territorial claims.
An expert stated that China and the US are not among the largest marine powers. He also compared the threat of cutting internet cables to nuclear weapons, emphasizing that the threat itself, rather than actual use, causes unease and disrupts normal operations.
Iran's IRGC has threatened to impose tariffs on submarine cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, demanding "protection fees" from foreign cable operators. This move could disrupt global digital economy and connectivity, impacting trillions in data transmission.
Beneath the surface of the world’s oceans lies an infrastructure so essential, modern life would stall without it – yet so invisible it rarely enters public debate. Submarine cables, slender fibre-optic systems laid across the seabed, carry over 95 per cent of global internet traffic, transmitting the data that underpins financial markets, diplomatic exchanges and everyday communication. What appears to be neutral infrastructure is, in fact, a deeply political system – one that exposes a...
