NATO plans to create an alternative satellite internet service for emergency situations.
The possibility of sabotage of underwater cables raises concerns about the need to establish alternative plans.
The HEIST project aims to mitigate the physical sabotage of submarine cables. This innovative approach will be based on the use of laser optics instead of radio systems. Every day, exabytes of data flow through more than 1 million kilometers of fiber optic cables connecting the world. In light of growing concerns about vulnerabilities highlighted by recent disruptions to submarine cables, NATO is developing a satellite-based backup system for global internet communications.
The HEIST initiative (Hybrid Space-Submarine Architecture for Telecommunications Security) emerged in response to an incident in February 2024, when the vessel Rubymar was attacked by a Houthi missile. This attack caused the ship's anchor to drag and cut three fiber optic cables on the seafloor of the Red Sea. According to a report, these cables were responsible for about 25% of internet traffic between Europe and Asia, forcing traffic redirection and revealing the fragility of global internet infrastructure.
More than 95% of intercontinental internet traffic relies on submarine fiber optic cables, totaling over 1.2 million kilometers worldwide. These thin cables, which are left unburied on the ocean floor, are susceptible to accidental damage and acts of sabotage. While the Rubymar incident was unintentional, there is evidence suggesting deliberate sabotage of submarine cables by state actors such as Russia and China. In response, NATO has publicly stated its intentions to prevent these incidents using underwater drones.
HEIST aims to address these threats to ensure that critical internet channels remain operational even if fiber lines are compromised. The project has two main objectives: to quickly detect damage to the cables and precisely locate cuts, as well as to expand the capacity to redirect data through alternative channels, including satellites. The priority will be to divert high-importance data to these satellites, thereby reducing reliance on the more vulnerable submarine cables.
Testing for the project is scheduled to begin in 2025 at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. Research teams from countries such as the United States, Sweden, Iceland, and Switzerland will collaborate to develop faster damage detection systems that can identify issues with an accuracy of up to one meter. Additionally, researchers will explore satellite-based security systems that utilize higher bandwidth laser optics, capable of transmitting significantly more data than current radio-based satellite systems.
Although there is currently no one-size-fits-all solution, NATO's goal is to create a diverse and resilient network that ensures secure global communications during emergencies.
