At the G7 Technology focus on submarine cables, “a strategic challenge for Europe”

The warning of Undersecretary Butti in Cernobbio and the analysis of the expert of the Centre for European Policy Network

by Viviana Astasi

MILAN – “We have spoken at length about submarine cables, a technology destined to become increasingly strategic”. With very few words, the Undersecretary of State for Technological Innovation, Alessio Butti, stunned the audience of journalists and industry professionals present at the ministerial meeting of the G7 Technology and Digital hosted on October 15 in Cernobbio. Great emphasis was expected on what could be the next steps in artificial intelligence, but in the end a crucial and unexpected theme was precisely that of submarine cables, a huge network composed of approximately 529 systems that allows all the countries in the world to exchange between 95 and 99% of internet data.

SECURITY ISSUES

Butti defined this infrastructure placed on the seabed as “strategic”, underlining that it is necessary to “make it safe”. What are we talking about and what are the interests at stake?
At a technical level, the individual underwater cables have a diameter of about two centimeters, for a total length of 1.4 million kilometers. Due to their location thousands of meters below sea level, maintenance is not easy and there is a risk that wear and tear or natural phenomena such as seismic shocks could damage them. The consequence would be a partial blocking of communications that take place over the web. However, the dangers can also have human origins and it is to them that Butti refers when he reiterates the need to make the cables safe. It is impossible not to think of regional wars and beyond that, through a massive targeted attack on the underwater network, could cause the isolation of entire countries, with significant repercussions also at an economic level. But there is more.
“The States have not invested enough in the construction of this infrastructure, with the result that they are heavily dependent on private companies: in fact, it is the latter that install and manage most of the cables,” Eleonora Poli, Head of the Italian Office of the Cep – Centres for European Policy Network, explains to the Dire agency. “We are starting to think about how problematic this could be, given the ongoing conflicts such as the one between Russia and Ukraine; cable security is therefore essential to maintain the security of people’s and countries’ data, as well as social and economic interactions.”

TOWARDS AN INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE DEFENSE OF DATA TRAFFIC

But let’s go back to the possible damage caused by human beings. One limitation in cable protection is the current lack of an international alliance that can deal with the possible interruption of internet data traffic caused by a military attack. “If this were to happen, private companies would probably intervene,” Poli points out, “but a coalition of states would be necessary to deal with an emergency of this magnitude.” The alliance in question is slowly being built, at least in the West, and concerns the bloc formed by the European Union and the United States. Although economic competitiveness between Brussels and Washington remains – a rivalry that Donald Trump’s possible re-election to the White House would accentuate – a unity of purpose prevails in the confrontation with other players on the global chessboard, China above all. “In the trade war between Washington and Beijing, the cable issue is emblematic,” Poli points out. “The United States has made sure that its direct rival cannot work on the placement of the cables it was interested in. This is because on the one hand there is a fear of sabotage and on the other there is a fear that data could be stolen”.

FROM GOOGLE TO IRIS

Data security is a crucial issue, given that the companies that deal with the installation of cables are mostly private. Two names that stand out, both American: SubCom and Google, to which is added Meta. The European Union therefore finds itself having to deal with two intertwined problems that concern the fact of relying on companies that are both non-state and foreign. Poli calls it a “European dilemma,” which Brussels is trying to resolve in two ways. “On the one hand, the European Union is regulating the digital market very strictly while respecting the privacy of its citizens. From this point of view, it is the most advanced political entity and is often criticized for being excessively rigid, given that the digital landscape is constantly changing and there is a risk of becoming obsolete in a very short time. On the other hand, there is an attempt to create initiatives to promote a more European market, as in the case of the satellite project Iris – Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security.”
Another critical aspect that makes Europe subordinate to the United States is the ability to innovate. Poli has no doubts: “If we don’t have companies that innovate and become competitive in the digital market, in the future we will no longer count for anything globally. The problem is not so much Google investing in the Mediterranean, but the fact that there is no European Google. On the other hand, this is what Mario Draghi said in his report: it is necessary to relaunch the competitiveness of the Union, which currently has its weakest point in digital”.

“ITALY CENTRAL IN THE GLOBAL GATEWAY”

And Italy? Butti spoke about the centrality of our country, but beyond its position in the Mediterranean – an area through which 16% of global internet data traffic passes – what role can it have on the international scene? “There is a growing Italian and European interest in Africa, which is an emerging market and geographically close in which Brussels can both invest and create development,” Poli explains. “This is the only way the Union has to counter China. Beijing invests, but has no interest in creating local well-being, without intervening in the internal dynamics of governance; Europe instead asks that its investments correspond to a commitment from individual African states on the front of democracy and respect for rights.”
Africa is an important hub within the Global Gateway, the EU project that connects it to Europe and the countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean via submarine cables. In such a context, therefore, according to Poli, “Italy is truly central and for once its geographical position helps us.” The geopolitical and economic game is more open than ever.