Submarine telecommunications cables are the backbone of the global digital economy, supporting international communications and finance, among other key services. Cable disruptions caused by human activity and natural hazards can affect essential government and industry operations, as well as people's access to education, healthcare, and banking services.
Among the main challenges to the resilience of submarine cables highlighted in the report are high exposure to physical hazards, increased repair times, geographical concentration of infrastructure, and the heavy reliance of many countries on a small number of cable systems—particularly small island developing states (SIDS), least developed countries (LDCs), and other underserved regions.
The report elaborates on the Advisory Body's recommendations agreed earlier this year in three key areas: timely deployment and repair; risk identification, monitoring and mitigation; and the promotion of connectivity and geographical diversity.
“The world depends on connectivity, and thanks to the International Advisory Body on Submarine Cable Resilience, we now have a practical roadmap for maintaining the reliability of submarine networks,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “These reports reflect a shared commitment among governments, industry, international organizations, academia, and other stakeholders to safeguard this critical infrastructure that serves us all.”.
By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives from across the submarine cable ecosystem, the report provides a common reference point to support international cooperation, guide policymaking, and strengthen the resilience of one of the world's most critical digital infrastructure systems.
The report, prepared jointly by governments, international organizations, industry and academia, reinforces several priorities for action, including: "What began two years ago as a debate has become a global movement," said Sandra Maximiano, president of ANACOM of Portugal and co-chair of the International Advisory Body.
"The Advisory Body and its findings demonstrate that when diverse stakeholders unite with a common purpose, global challenges can be transformed into shared solutions. Our task now is clear: to translate cooperation into lasting resilience for the infrastructure that keeps the world connected. Our legacy will be measured by the resilience that the adopted recommendations help to build into the global digital infrastructure for decades to come.".
Strengthen coordination between governments and industry;
streamline regulatory and permitting processes;
improve risk identification and monitoring;
increase route diversity and infrastructure redundancy;
enhance preparedness and response capabilities;
address the needs of vulnerable regions; and
integrate climate and environmental considerations.
“Submarine cables are the invisible infrastructure that powers our connected world, carrying the vast majority of global data traffic and underpinning everything from digital commerce and financial services to healthcare, education, and government operations,” said His Excellency Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Consultative Body. “The recommendations adopted by the International Consultative Body represent an important milestone in strengthening the resilience of this critical infrastructure through enhanced international cooperation, practical policy guidance, and shared responsibility.”.
The International Advisory Body on the Resilience of Submarine Cables was established in 2024 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)—the United Nations agency for digital technologies—and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), the leading industry organization dedicated to promoting the protection of submarine cables. ITU Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas and ICPC Legal Advisor Kent Bressie served as the Advisory Body’s Executive Secretaries.
The adoption of the reports marks the completion of the Advisory Body’s two-year work program and leaves as its legacy the pooling of international efforts to strengthen the resilience of submarine cables, including through summits held in Abuja, Nigeria, in 2025 and in Porto, Portugal, earlier this year.
The final meeting of the Consultative Body took place on July 10 during the ITU WSIS Forum 2026, as part of Geneva Digital Week, together with the "AI for Good" World Summit (July 7-10) and the first UN-mandated Global Dialogue on AI Governance (July 6-7).
