When most people think about the oceans, the first images that come to mind are container ships stacked high with goods, fishing fleets feeding millions, or tankers powering industries. What’s often overlooked is that the oceans are also data highways, which are less visible but just as vital.
Beneath the waves lies a vast web of subsea cables carrying more than 95% of international internet traffic. These hidden lifelines enable global trade, digital banking, streaming, telemedicine, and instant communication. In this way, subsea cables are as critical to the 21st century economy as shipping lanes were to the 20th.
As we mark World Maritime Day 2025, themed ‘Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity,’ it’s important to recognize that the oceans don’t only move physical cargo; they also carry the digital backbone of globalization.
Oceans, Shipping, and the Digital Connection
The oceans already facilitate more than 80% of global merchandise trade by volume. They regulate our climate, sustain marine biodiversity, and provide livelihoods to millions. But alongside ships, ports, and fisheries, another form of maritime infrastructure deserves recognition: submarine telecommunications cables.
Subsea cable deployment is inseparable from maritime operations. It requires specialized ships, complex marine route planning, and coordination with coastal authorities and international waters. Repairs often take place in challenging conditions, where ships must retrieve and fix cables buried thousands of meters below sea level.
Much like international shipping, subsea cables depend on cross-border cooperation and maritime governance, serving simultaneously as commercial infrastructure, strategic assets, and a shared global responsibility.
The Global Growth of Subsea Networks
Every region of the world is experiencing growth in subsea connectivity, shaped by geography, demand, and politics. Here are some of the recent and upcoming projects highlighting this global momentum:
Europe and North America: The North Atlantic remains one of the most heavily trafficked digital corridors. The Grace Hopper cable, backed by Google, connects the U.S. with Spain and the U.K., while Dunant, another Google system, links Virginia to France with record-breaking capacity. The Hawaiian Islands Fiber Link (HIFL) project also marks significant progress in the development of Hawaiʻi’s open-access, carrier-neutral, inter-island fiber infrastructure.
Set to be operational by the end of 2026, the GC-LNZ-FU Ring Project will bolster digital infrastructure in the province of Las Palmas. The Magna Grecia Cable project is also an ambitious submarine cable system that aims to connect Taranto, Italy, with Plataria, Greece, through the Ionian Sea.
Notably, EXA Infrastructure achieved a connectivity milestone in Europe, launching the first new subsea cable on the North Sea in 25 years. GlobalConnect has also officially begun working on a new subsea cable linking Sweden and Finland via Åland, part of a USD 14-million infrastructure investment expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The company also unveiled a EUR 40-million subsea cable initiative to strengthen digital links between Sweden, Estonia, and Finland.
Asia Pacific: Digital demand across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim has spurred major builds. The Apricot cable, connecting Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore, is designed to serve cloud hyperscalers with high-speed redundancy. Meanwhile, the Echo cable, running between the U.S., Singapore, and Indonesia, further strengthens U.S.–Asia ties.
The trans-pacific Bifrost Cable System has already reached Philippine shores upon landing in Davao. Nearby, the East Micronesia Cable has landed in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), with the international telecommunications cable expected to be ready for service (RFS) in November 2025.
Furthermore, targeted for completion by the third quarter of 2029, the 8,900-km AUG East submarine cable system will connect Singapore and Japan, with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Middle East and Africa: Once underserved, Africa is undergoing a connectivity revolution. The 2Africa cable, one of the largest ever deployed, will encircle the continent and connect it with Europe and the Middle East. Similarly, Google’s Equiano cable, running from Portugal to South Africa, has already landed in multiple West African nations, boosting bandwidth and lowering costs.
A recent feat is the completion of the Coral Bridge submarine cable project that marks Jordan’s first privately owned submarine communications cable and the first direct connection between Jordan and Egypt in over 25 years.
The live landing of 2Africa Pearls in Bahrain also represents a qualitative leap that will enhance the Kingdom’s connectivity capacity tenfold. The DARE1 submarine cable system is also set for expansion from the south along Africa’s east coast. Worth USD 2.9 billion, the Daraja Fibre Optic Cable, will be a pivotal component of East Africa’s digital landscape.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Brazil and Chile are emerging as key digital gateways. The EllaLink cable directly connects Europe to Latin America, bypassing the U.S. and enabling low-latency links for research, finance, and cloud applications. In parallel, the Firmina cable, led by Google, will connect the U.S. with Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, providing improved resilience for the region.
Strengthening international connectivity and digital resilience throughout the Caribbean and Central America, MAYA-1.2, an enhanced subsea cable system that doubles the capacity of the MAYA-1, has also been launched. Scheduled to be operational by the last quarter of 2025, the TAM-1 submarine cable is a major catalyst for Costa Rica’s technological and economic growth, expanding the country’s international connectivity capacity 23-fold.
Strategic maritime chokepoints—including the Red Sea, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Malacca Strait, and the South China Sea—highlight the dual dependency of shipping and subsea systems on secure ocean passage. Disruption in any of these areas can ripple across both supply chains and the internet backbone.
Engineering Innovation Beneath the Waves
Building and maintaining subsea cables requires cutting-edge technology that merges maritime engineering with telecom expertise:
- Cable Laying Ships: Modern vessels use GPS-based dynamic positioning, precision cable plows, and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to place and protect cables with minimal seabed disturbance.
- Marine Route Planning: Advanced modeling now incorporates seismic data, seabed geology, and climate risk projections to select routes that avoid natural hazards and ecological hotspots.
- Durability and Smart Monitoring: Newer cables are designed to withstand deep-sea pressures and fishing activities, with embedded sensors to detect faults or external interference.
These innovations not only improve reliability but also enhance sustainability, an increasingly important metric for both maritime and telecom stakeholders.
Moreover, deployments are increasingly mindful of their environmental footprint, with measures such as pre-deployment surveys helping avoid ecologically sensitive areas like coral reefs, whale migration paths, or seagrass beds.
Cable-laying ships are also being upgraded to reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and noise pollution. In some cases, cables are also equipped with sensors that gather oceanographic data to help scientists monitor earthquakes, temperature shifts, and climate change impacts.
This alignment of telecom operators with global ocean stewardship reinforces the idea that the digital economy can grow without compromising marine ecosystems.
Our Shared Digital Ocean
For centuries, the oceans have been the arteries of world trade, exploration, and cultural exchange. Today, they are also the circulatory system of the global digital economy.
As demand for data continues to surge—driven by AI, IoT, cloud, and global e-commerce—the pressure on subsea networks will only intensify. The oceans remind us that connectivity is not just a technical asset, but a maritime responsibility.
This year’s World Maritime Day reminds us to invest in sustainable practices, resilient architectures, and solidify international cooperation.
