Asean agrees on guidelines for quicker subsea cable fixes

[SINGAPORE] Asean nations have moved to standardise the maintenance of the region’s subsea cables, endorsing a Singapore-led framework that recommends capping the permitted processing time for subsea cable repairs at 10 days.The Enhanced Asean Guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of Submarine Cables was adopted at the Sixth Asean Digital Ministers’ Meeting on Friday (Jan 16).They seek to update the existing 2019 guidelines with international best practices, while also harmonising repair protocols. Currently, the time taken to process the repairs of subsea cables varies by nation with no fixed timeline.In addition to the guideline on the maximum period of time taken to process the repair subsea cables, other measures were recommended to protect the cables – such as marking out zones where the cables lie, as well as providing some form of live indication for ships passing by.The repair process was also streamlined. Instead of approaching multiple contacts in government for cable repairs, companies will now only need to approach a single point of contact.The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said on Friday that subsea cables are the “backbone of the global digital economy” as these cables carry 99 per cent of international data traffic – including financial and telecommunications data.“Given their transboundary nature, disruptions in one country can affect other countries along the same network, underscoring the need for regional alignment on strong protection, maintenance and repair measures,” said MDDI.Responding to media queries in a virtual interview, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said that the digital connectivity between countries is “essential” for businesses in Singapore.“The value of being part of a hub depends on how well the hub is working,” she said.If the connectivity is not assured, it will lower the company’s efficiency; and if the connectivity is put at risk, businesses may decide to move everything “lock, stock and barrel”, she added.With enhanced digital connectivity, the subsea cable guidelines will give businesses in Singapore more options by enabling them to configure their activities in a flexible manner, the minister noted.Having a standardised guideline for subsea cables not only benefits Singapore, but also other countries in the region as they will be able to “benefit from enhanced resilience in digital connectivity”, she said.Despite the measures taken to protect the subsea cables, Teo noted that “it is not possible for there to be no damage to the submarine cables” as they are in “very busy waters”.With the new guidelines, Asean’s position is to accept that damages are unavoidable, but the time taken to repair the cables will be swift, she said.