Submarine Cables Face Increasing Threats Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Limited Repair Capacity

Insikt Group assesses that risks to global submarine cable infrastructure have intensified amid geopolitical tensions, documenting 44 publicly reported damages in 2024–2025 and finding that limited redundancy, route concentration, and constrained repair capacity turn routine faults and deniable anchor-dragging sabotage into prolonged, region-wide outages. Notable disruptions occurred in the Red Sea, West and South Africa, and around the Baltic and Taiwan, while regulatory hurdles and conflict-zone access issues further delay restorations; the report urges public‑private investment in repair fleets, diversified routing, enhanced monitoring, and streamlined permitting to bolster resilience.