A handful of large European telecommunication operators and vendors penned a letter to a cadre of European governments, regulators, and defense agencies stressing the need to secure increasingly vital subsea network links that have seen an increase in sabotage attacks.

The letter was signed by Orange, Telefónica, Vodafone, Telenor, GlobalConnect, NKT, Proximus Global, Sparkle, and Alcatel Submarine Networks, and targeted at the European Union (EU), United Kingdom, and NATO.

It asks that those authorities “renew their collaboration” in addressing the securing of subsea cables core to “Europe’s connectivity, competitiveness, defense readiness, and economic stability.”

“With the rise in hybrid threats, including incidents affecting subsea cables in the Baltic and North Sea, we emphasize the importance of enhanced, coordinated action to safeguard Europe’s cross-border networks,” the letter notes, pointing to recently instituted efforts under the “EU Action Plan on Cable Security.”

That plan was presented earlier this year, stressing the need to bolster the resilience of “this critical infrastructure.” It includes a focus on preventing attacks on subsea links; increased detection efforts to identify and anticipate threats; solidify response to attacks; and bolster deterrence efforts.

The letter also states the need for increased investment toward these efforts to “confirm and increase the budget allocated to digital, including the [Connected Europe Facility], in the future MFF, as well as the instruments of the U.K. government and of NATO.” The letter also angles for the development of additional terrestrial and subsea routes that can “enhance redundancy and reduce vulnerability to single points of failure.”

“By partnering with industry, Europe can leverage advanced technologies and expertise to improve situational awareness, enable rapid response and strengthen repair capabilities,” the letter states. “Simplifying the permitting process and governance structures will further expedite these necessary security measures.”

These efforts build on past EU-focused network security efforts, including the Network & Information Security Directive (NIS2) and its 5G security toolbox.

Subsea cables are vulnerable Subsea cables carry nearly all of the world’s internet traffic. This traffic is expected to surge due to increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which has vendors working quickly to increase subsea connection performance.

However, the approximately 400 subsea cables around the globe have become increasingly entangled within the world’s geopolitical sphere.

A recent report from the International Cable Protection Committee claimed most subsea cable incidents “are accidental, due to anchoring or fishing,” with others caused by underwater earthquakes or system failures. However, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) noted that those cables are also subject to “sabotage attacks and espionage.”

“Particularly, a coordinated sabotage attack on multiple cables at once could cause significant disruptions of internet connectivity,” ENISA explained in a report. “Repairing subsea cables is complex, takes a long time, and requires highly specialized cable repair ships, only few in the world. While eavesdropping on cables on the seabed is considered unlikely, accessing communications data at the cable landing stations or at cable landing points is feasible, and should be considered as a threat.”