NATO is funding a project aimed at ensuring the continuous operation of the Internet in the event of an attack on underwater cables that transfer civil and military communications in European waters. Researchers from the USA, Iceland, Sweden, and Switzerland are collaborating on this project with the goal of developing a system that automatically redirects Internet traffic from underwater cables to satellite systems in the event of sabotage or a natural disaster.
Under the scientific program of NATO “Science for peace and security,” a grant of up to 400 thousand euros has been allocated for the project, which has a total cost of $2.5 million. Research institutions are providing contributions in kind for the project.
The project, recently approved, is set to begin implementation in the near future. It comes in response to concerns that hostile countries could potentially disrupt or damage underwater cables to disrupt communications during a military crisis. This is particularly crucial as approximately 10 trillion dollars’ worth of financial transactions are conducted daily through underwater cables, with almost all NATO Internet traffic passing through them.
In light of these concerns, NATO has recently intensified efforts to protect underwater cables, establishing a coordination center last year to safeguard underwater infrastructure following an explosion on the North Stream-2 pipeline in September 2022.
The focus of the project is on developing methods to detect cable faults and automatically switch to satellite throughput for data redirection. Over the first two years, researchers will be testing prototypes and refining the system.
Commercial and government partners will also participate in the project, with the governments of Sweden and Iceland expressing interest in utilizing the developed system. Entities such as the Swedish Navy and Icelandic government structures are keen on utilizing this technology.
American satellite company Viasat Inc., Space Technological Company Sierra Space Corp., and the Icelandic cybersecurity firm Syndis are also collaborating on the project. Viasat’s role will involve developing satellite technologies and optical connections capable of real-time data redirection in the event of underwater fiber communication disruptions.
The project is set to kick off with a symposium at Cornell University in New York later this month, with further studies planned at an underwater training ground for high-voltage cables near Sweden’s largest naval base.