Internet
Wissing calls for more resilience for submarine cables
Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is concerned with the data infrastructure of the West. photo
© Andreas Arnold/dpa
Telecommunications cables in the sea are repeatedly damaged during military attacks, acts of sabotage or accidents. Digital Minister Wissing is now putting the topic on the G7 agenda.
After the destruction of telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea and the Red Sea, Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) spoke out in favor of a package of measures to protect strategically important lines.
“Submarine cables are the backbone of our global Internet. They are critical infrastructure and that is why we need to better protect them from accidents but also wanton destruction,” said Wissing in the run-up to the G7 digital ministers’ meeting in Trent.
Wissing accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using a “blatant threat” to target the West’s data infrastructure. “This shows that the topic of submarine cables belongs on the digital policy agenda.”
The solution approach
In order to increase the resilience of the global submarine cables, there is a solution: laying the cables redundantly. “That means new routes, more cable connections and faster repairs,” Wissing continued. His ministry is therefore supporting two cable projects in the Arctic and wants to strengthen close cooperation with the G7 partners.
Most recently, data cables were cut in the Red Sea. Most connections between Europe and Asia pass through the area where the Yemeni Houthi militia attacks Western merchant ships. It is suspected that the anchor of the ship “Rubymar”, which sank after a Houthi attack, may have cut the cables. Last October, the telecommunications cable connecting Sweden and Estonia was damaged, presumably in an act of sabotage.
G7 meeting in Verona
The industry and digital ministers of the G7 countries are currently meeting in northern Italy. The industry ministers are meeting in Verona today. Germany is represented by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).
Among other things, negotiations on the international regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) will be continued in the round. The ministers will also address the issue of “secure and resilient networks, supply chains and important input factors”. Tomorrow in Trento, the G7 digital ministers will also discuss the mega-topic of artificial intelligence, including specifically the use of AI in public administration.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum of the heads of state and government of seven industrialized countries. These include Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Canada and the USA. The digital ministers from Brazil and South Korea also take part in the meeting in Trent.