The European Commission has announced hundreds of millions of Euro of new funding to try to protect undersea internet cables.
The Cable Security Toolbox will have a budget of €347 million for “risk mitigating measures” delivering on promises made in the EU’s Action Plan on Cable Security last year.
The aim is to increase “security and resilience of Europe’s submarine cables, including countering the rise of intentional damage and sabotage”, the European Commission says.
Submarine data cables carry 99 percent of intercontinental internet traffic, according to EU stats, and are “essential for modern life and the European economy.”
As part of the programme, the EU will work with member states including Ireland to compile a list of “Cable Projects of European Interest”.
Sensors and monitoring components will be “integrated into submarine telecommunications infrastructure to gather real-time ocean and seismic data”, the European Commission says.
There will also be an EU pooled system to leap into action ready to carry out repairs when necessary.
“These modules will be stationed at ports or shipyards to swiftly restore submarine cable services”, the European Commission says.
Ireland’s strategic position between the United States and the European continent, as well as its high number of tech companies makes undersea cables a particularly important issue for the government.
Experts have also warned that Ireland’s small military capabilities could mean our cables vulnerable.
The European Commission said it plans to protect “all major sea basins of the European Union, including the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.”
A pilot project will focus on the Baltic Sea “due to the rise in submarine cable disruptions in recent years, suggesting these critical infrastructures might be subject to hostile acts.”