submarine cables: critical infrastructure cable … · international submarine cable network -...

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SUBMARINE CABLES: CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURECable Owner’s Perspective

May 20-21

It ain’t about the Satellites!

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Alex story Icelandic Volcano – Volcanologist says that along with disrupting global air traffic the volcano can distrupt global communications NO!� Alex says yes – signals to satellites get disrupted by ash Enter


Submarine Cable Organizations

North American Submarine Cable Association (NASCA)

16 North American based companies; owners, operators, suppliers, maintenance providers.

401 (c) Company.

Advocates on behalf of the Undersea Cable Industry in North America

International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC)

Over 100 companies from over 50 countries, mostly owners, larger suppliers and maintenance providers.

Non-profit based in UK.

Provides advice, recommendations and advocacy.

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NASCA incorporated in Delaware, HQ in NJ. Confines its comments to local (NA) issues ICPC typically confines its comments to cable issues in the high seas


Undersea Cables are Critical to the World Economy

Undersea cables carry >95% of the worlds telecommunications

The connected world as we know it today is in great part due to the undersea cable network

Yet this critical infrastructure is protected by laws from the 1880’s

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Growth in the internet mirrors the growth in undersea capacity


PerspectiveState of the Art in the 1880’s

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Ride bike to work – this is what I would be riding Great Eastern CS Monarch (the second)


International Submarine Cable Network -1865

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1866: First trans-Atlantic cable carried telegraph messages at 7 words a minute & cost £20 for 20 word message 1956: First trans-Atlantic telephone cable (TAT-1) initially had capacity of 36 telephone calls at a time; calls costing US$12 for first 3 minutes Northern route laid by Great Eastern


International Submarine Cable Network

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Today: Each fibre pair within a cable has the capacity to carry digitised information (including video) that is equivalent to 150,000,000 simultaneous phone calls


Network Monitoring

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Capacity in undersea makes it possible to monitor the health of our networks AT&T Network Operations Center – several screenshots and panorama of the NOC


UNCLOS

UNCLOS increases protection for undersea cables

• Article 113, breaking or injury to a submarine cable is a punishable offence

• So is “conduct calculated or likely to result in such breaking or injury”

• But not if in the act of saving lives or vessels.

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Anchor dragging, bottom tending fishing gear, dredges, etc


UNCLOS

Foresaw conflicts and suggested resolution

• Indemnification for sacrificed fishing gear of anchors (115)

• Break or injury to other undersea infrastructure (cables and pipelines – 114)

• Due regard for cables and pipelines already installed (79)

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Much of this is done informally now. Pay for gear Pursue claims for damage Crossing agreements, simple email or legal contract.


AT&T Support

AT&T supported US Delegation negotiating the Geneva Convention of the High Seas (1958)

• Urged Senator Jesse Helms (Chair Foreign Affairs) to promptly ratify UNCLOS (1990’s)

• Testified before the Foreign Affairs Committee (1998).

• September 2007 letter to Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

• NOW!


NASCA Support

The North American Submarine Cable Association has supported UNCLOS

• In testimony before the US Oceans Commission.

• 2007 testimony (D. Burnett) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

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Lead in for take home message – college professor, end of every class would ensure that all knew what was important to take home from class.


The Take-Home Message

The Undersea Cable Industry in general, and AT&T specifically, supports US assent to UNCLOS and has done so for many years because it increases protections for our cables.

submarine cables: critical infrastructure cable … · international submarine cable network -...

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