In light of the escalation of geopolitical crises in the Strait of Hormuz region, growing concerns have emerged about the safety of undersea cables that are the backbone of the global Internet, at a time when reports have warned that this vital infrastructure has become a potential target in regional disputes.
According to international reports, these cables transmit more than 99% of international data traffic, making them an essential element in the operation of communications, financial services, and correspondence around the world, even though they pass through “narrow corridors” that are exposed to political and security risks.
In this context, Tehran recently put forward proposals to impose fees on submarine cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, considering that they represent a weak point in the region’s digital economy. Other regions of the world have also witnessed security incidents and movements related to this infrastructure, including accusations against China of targeting cables near Taiwan, and Russian movements with secret operations near cables in northern Britain without recording any damage.
On the other hand, the British government announced the tightening of laws to punish any deliberate acts of sabotage that might affect submarine cables, with penalties that could reach imprisonment.
Telecommunications companies and digital infrastructure experts confirm that the world depends on about 600 submarine cables with a total length exceeding 1.5 million kilometers, often managed by major companies such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, in addition to specialized international alliances.
Although a single cable outage does not usually lead to a complete shutdown of the Internet, widespread disruptions may cause a significant slowdown in services, disrupt financial transfers, and affect vital systems such as health and banking.
Experts warn that the concentration of these cables in limited paths such as the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz makes them vulnerable to greater risks, whether as a result of direct targeting or accidental incidents, such as ships dragging their anchors over the cables or commercial navigation activities.
Estimates indicate that similar incidents have caused widespread outages over the past years, affecting a large portion of data traffic between Asia and Europe.
In light of these challenges, some international initiatives, including projects supported by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), are moving towards enhancing the flexibility of the Internet by diversifying its paths between terrestrial and satellite cables, despite experts confirming that satellites cannot be a complete substitute for maritime infrastructure due to their limited capacity and high cost.
Experts conclude that the future of the Internet depends on diversifying paths and reducing reliance on narrow sea lanes, in light of increasing tensions that may make these cables a “strategic weak point” in the global digital economy.
