Panel 1 – The State of Submarine Cable Resilience Today

Summary

This panel discussion focused on improving the resilience of submarine cables, which are critical for global internet connectivity. Experts from various sectors discussed challenges and potential solutions for enhancing cable protection and repair processes.

Key points included the need for greater cooperation between governments and the submarine cable industry. Panelists emphasized the importance of streamlining permit processes for cable repairs, as delays can significantly impact restoration times. They suggested creating a single-window system for obtaining necessary permissions from multiple agencies.

The discussion highlighted the need for more cable repair vessels and maintenance bases in regions like Africa to reduce repair times and costs. Panelists also stressed the importance of proactive measures, such as cable monitoring, implementing cable corridors, and enforcing regulations against fishing and anchoring in cable areas.

Experts called for increased international collaboration, including sharing best practices, conducting joint research, and potentially establishing regional bodies for coordinated cable protection efforts. The importance of designating submarine cables as critical infrastructure was emphasized to ensure their prioritization in government policies.

The panel also touched on emerging technologies like AI and drones for cable monitoring and protection. They underscored the need for better data sharing and centralized repositories of information to support decision-making and improve overall cable resilience.

In conclusion, the discussion emphasized that while submarine cables are inherently resilient, there is significant room for improvement in protection, repair processes, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure their continued reliability in supporting global connectivity.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The need for greater cooperation between government agencies and the submarine cable industry to improve resilience and response times

– The importance of streamlining permitting processes and designating submarine cables as critical infrastructure

– Suggestions for establishing regional repair/maintenance centers and dedicated repair vessels in Africa

– The role of governments in enhancing security, regulating investments, and promoting public-private partnerships for submarine cables

– Opportunities to leverage new technologies for cable monitoring and protection

Overall purpose:

The goal of this panel discussion was to explore ways to improve submarine cable resilience and security, particularly in Africa, through enhanced collaboration between governments, regulators, and industry stakeholders.

Tone:

The tone was largely constructive and solution-oriented. Panelists spoke candidly about challenges but focused on proposing practical ideas for improvement. There was a sense of urgency and shared purpose in addressing the issues raised. The tone became more optimistic towards the end as participants emphasized the potential for positive change through continued dialogue and cooperation.

Speakers

– John Omo: Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Unit (ATU)

– Mustafa Yaasin Sheik: Director General of the Regulator in Somalia

– Zhiguo Zhao: Senior Consultant in submarine cables to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China

– Vincent Lemaire: Special projects for Alcatel

– Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga: Works for African Subsea and Ecosystem Forum

– Yomi Adebayo: Represents Main One (submarine cable operator)

Additional speakers:

– Kent (mentioned but did not speak): Provided data on cable faults

– Christian: Audience member from Ghana

– Soheil Kachi: Audience member from WIOC

Submarine Cable Resilience: Enhancing Protection and Collaboration

This panel discussion, moderated by John Omo, Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Unit (ATU), brought together experts from various sectors to address the critical issue of improving submarine cable resilience, with a particular focus on Africa. The dialogue centered on challenges and potential solutions for enhancing cable protection and repair processes, emphasizing the need for greater cooperation between governments and the submarine cable industry.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Current State of Submarine Cable Resilience

Vincent Lemaire from Alcatel highlighted that submarine cables are already highly resilient and reliable:

– Terrestrial networks experience more failures than submarine cables

– Only 200 repairs per year are needed for 2 million kilometers of cable

– Regular monitoring using technologies like AIS and distributed acoustic sensors is crucial

However, challenges remain, particularly in Africa. Yomi Adebayo from Main One outlined specific issues:

– Average repair time is about six weeks

– Average cost of repair is about $2 million

– Personnel costs range from $250 to $500 per day

– Obtaining permits takes about four weeks and involves 6-7 government agencies

2. Government Role in Submarine Cable Resilience

Speakers agreed on the importance of government involvement, though they proposed different levels of intervention:

– Mustafa Yaasin Sheik, Director General of the Regulator in Somalia, advocated for comprehensive risk analysis, regulation of investments, and public-private partnerships

– Zhiguo Zhao, Senior Consultant to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, suggested cross-departmental coordination and increased inspections

– Yomi Adebayo and John Omo stressed the importance of designating submarine cables as critical national infrastructure

3. Improving Submarine Cable Resilience

Several key measures were proposed:

– Simplifying permits for cable repairs

– Rejuvenating the marine maintenance fleet

– Conducting stress tests, especially for cybersecurity

– Establishing a centralized data repository for the industry (suggested by Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga)

– Creating a dedicated repair vessel and logistical base for Africa (proposed by Yomi Adebayo)

4. Collaboration and Information Sharing

There was strong agreement on the need for enhanced collaboration:

– Speakers emphasized public-private partnerships and vehicles to drive collaboration

– Zhiguo Zhao promoted international cooperation and dialogue between governments

– Audience members highlighted the importance of improving communication between maritime authorities and cable operators

5. Proactive Measures for Cable Protection

Several proactive measures were discussed:

– Designating cable corridors to protect cables from fishing and anchoring

– Using AIS monitoring and naval forces to reduce cable cuts by fishermen

– Leveraging new technologies like AI and drones for cable protection

– Following technical guidelines and best practices from industry bodies

6. Addressing “Middle Mile” and “Last Mile” Connectivity

Yomi Adebayo highlighted the importance of addressing connectivity issues beyond submarine cables, particularly in the “middle mile” or “last mile” of networks in Africa.

Challenges and Unresolved Issues

Despite the constructive dialogue, several issues remained unresolved:

– Effective enforcement of restrictions in cable protection zones

– Specific mechanisms for improving coordination between maritime authorities and cable operators

– Implementation details for a centralized industry data repository

– Concrete steps for enhancing inter-agency collaboration in cable regulation and protection

Proposed Solutions and Action Items

1. Explore establishing a dedicated repair vessel and logistical base for Africa

2. Consider creating a regional body for monitoring and preventing illegal activities

3. Investigate ways to streamline permitting processes across agencies

4. Look into designating specific cable corridors for protection

5. Develop joint funding and operation models for regional repair vessels and monitoring systems

6. Create a single-window permitting system balancing multiple regulatory needs with repair urgency

Conclusion

The panel discussion highlighted the complex nature of submarine cable resilience, emphasizing the need for enhanced collaboration between governments, regulators, and industry stakeholders. While submarine cables are already reliable, there is significant room for improvement in protection and repair processes, particularly in regions like Africa. Moving forward, addressing unresolved issues and implementing proposed action items will be crucial for ensuring the continued reliability of submarine cables in supporting global connectivity.

John Omo: of the summit. We’ll proceed with the panel discussion. I’d like to invite our moderator, Mr. John Omo, the Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Unit, ATU, a position that he has held since January 2019. Under his visionary leadership, the ATU has developed a regional framework to facilitate access to submarine cables for all African countries, particularly landlocked countries, as part of a white paper on connectivity and accessibility best practices in Africa. He’s taking a seat, but let’s warmly welcome him with a round of applause. Thank you, Mr. John. Good afternoon. May I have your attention? May I have your attention? This afternoon, we’ve had various operational environment in which cables are, and the challenges that we experience. I have a panel that I want to bring on board quickly. Mustafa Yaasin Sheikh. Mustafa is the Director General of the Regulator in Somalia. Mustafa, just come to the stage, right next to me here. Mr. Zhiguo Zhao currently serves as the Senior Consultant in the field of submarine cables to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. Please take your seat. Thank you very much, sir. Thank you very much, sir. Vincent Lemaire, I have it. Oh, right. Quite seated next to me, but we didn’t catch up. Thank you very much for joining. And I have, I have, I have broken the rules. I’ve broken the rules because Funke Opeke is unable to be with us this afternoon. My employer who is seated in white garment has asked me not to be in any panel where there’s no lady. The ladies are saying, yes, that’s true. And so my employer doesn’t allow me to sit in any panel where there’s no lady. And so we brought on board Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga. Nomsa, just come to the stage here. I’ll get to introduce our dynamic lady. Just take your seat, Nomsa. Nomsa works for African Subsea and Ecosystem Forum. So a forum that brings subsea cable operators and those that are interested in the ecosystem. And let me bring last but certainly not least, representing, let me bring Yomi Adebayo. Yomi. Yomi, walk like you’re my brother. Walk up, walk up, walk up like you’re my brother. Yeah, that’s more like it. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Now, we should have been five people here, but we are six. For the reason that I’ve said the gentleman in white has given me clear guidelines that I shouldn’t be in a panel where there’s no woman. And so I stick to that for good reasons. Yasin, we have had this afternoon the sort of challenges, the operating environment in which cables operate. And more so, I want us to have a bias towards this continent, the labourers, because this is where we are. And so I’ll start with you, Mr. Yaasin. Briefly, talk to us in terms of what you feel governments should do more. What you feel governments should do more in terms of undersea cable resilience, especially from the part of the world where you come from. Somalia is at the horn of Africa, ideally should be serving upwards of eight countries by cable. We have had some challenges there. The map that you saw earlier do indicate that cable cuts in that region somehow remain. And what do you feel that governments should do more?

Mustafa Yaasin Sheik: Thank you very much, Mr. Omo. And I think this is a good question. And thank you very much for bringing this question. I think the government is not the only players in the field. There are other players, but still the government has an important role to play for the submarine cable resilience. And their role is very critical. And the role of the government is very critical for enhancing the security and the submarine cable resilience in the world. First of all, the government can start by comprehensive risk analysis in their region, the unique challenges both in the operational aspect, or also in the aspect of the physical risks in their environment, which is unique maybe in their special region, where the submarine cable is landing their station. The other thing is also regulating the submarine cable investment, which depends more on the investment environment in their country and promoting the getting more cables in their area, especially the getting more routers coming to the country to avoid the risk for missing the fault line. That’s one. The second one also is the pre-installation for the government is to focus on the investment in the sector to afford using the materials in the area during the laying process of the submarine cables to afford any challenges in the environment or the potential threats in the area. The other area, as I mentioned, is enhanced security protocols of the government, which can be supportive for the investment and the resilience of the submarine cables in their regions and the world as well. So this initiative can prevent the accidental and also the human-made accidents related to the submarine cables in the area. The other area is promoting the public-private partnership and working with the other actors or players in the ground, like the submarine cable providers, the technical community, as well as the investors, to bring information which can promote the submarine cable investment and enabling in the world. That’s another one. The other area is incentive for technology development, where the government is playing another role for incentives for research and development. In that area, the government is playing a critical area, both to the capacity of the monitoring, the advancement of new technologies, open for new investment, new ideas, new technologies, such as the sensors to detect the faults and the use of the emerging technologies for the submarine cable and monitoring as well. The other area where the government is playing a critical role is also the crisis management plan. In case of crisis, the government is also playing a different role. If the government put in place, at the first hand, good protocol for the crisis management also, it supports guidance and make accountable also for the private sector, both the landing cable owners or also the investors and also the governments as well. So other area where the government is playing a critical role is about the international cooperation, international organization and the governments, where they collaborate between the investment, cable lending, and also promoting the resolving the critical aspects and also the repair licensing. So the collaboration in the other countries also is very important. So thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much.

John Omo: Thank you very much. Thank you very much for the response. Manso, welcome aboard. Welcome aboard. Special projects for Alcatel. I know you’re involved quite a bit. What do you view as the greatest opportunity to improve submarine cable resilience in 2025, especially given your operations in Africa? Would you share with us any countries in Africa where you are operating and undersea cable has been declared a critical infrastructure by governments? Are there any of such examples where Alcatel operates?

Vincent Lemaire: Thank you very much. So first thing I would like to say is that submarine cable are resilient. When we deploy submarine cable, we deploy submarine cable respecting ICPC rules, and these rules are valid and are really protecting cables. Second point is that product, the different supplier deploy, are both very resilient and very reliable. So for me, the question is more how to further improve resilience rather than our system system are resilient. It’s really important everyone understand that. If you go for terrestrial network, you know very well that the failure are much more often than the one you face on submarine cable. 200 repair a year for 2 million kilometers of kilometers is not that much. Now, there are four implements. The first one I would suggest is performing cable monitoring quite often cable are led and once they are led they are not monitored and there are technologies that permit to monitor so you can monitor you is using AIS monitoring you can monitor using distributed acoustic sensors you can monitor using other technologies but but you have to do it in some areas you can also monitor having vessel running in the eye of the cable to be sure that fishing vessel anchoring are not done in shallow waters close to the place where cable are second point and I believe it has been said before made permits for repair immediate we we are repairing cables on weekly basis and sometime it takes one day to repair a cable sometime to get the permits and to mobilize a vessel sometimes take six weeks eight weeks three months to get it so really simplifying permits for the repair is of key importance and it’s for me quite easy to simplify that. Third point is launch rejuvenation of the marine maintenance fleet. The marine maintenance business is a difficult business the money countries and cable owners are putting there is not at a level that permit the company owning the vessel to buy new vessel and to replace vessels if we don’t change that the vessel which are in average already quite old around 20 the maintenance vessel are around 25 years old currently in average will become older and older and we are not going to introduce new vessel. So thinking to the rejuvenation of that fleet for me is really of importance. And I will give a last point or two last points. One is there are countries they are capable of performing test test on their cable. So they simulate a cable cut, they simulate a long cable cut, they simulate the station failure and they see how the system is reacting and by that they know what they have to do when the event is effectively happening and in particular I would insist on the cyber security stress test. From time to time cable owners ask us to perform what we call the cyber security penetration test on their station and I can tell you the results are not always very good. Sometimes they are very good, sometimes they are very poor. So this would be my recommendation.

John Omo: You haven’t quite answered. I’ll come back to it. In countries where you operate have you had instances where government takes a deliberate action to declare undersea cables a critical infrastructure?

Vincent Lemaire: I didn’t get that, I didn’t get that sorry. In fact some marine cables are part of marine maintenance agreement or they are not part of marine maintenance agreement. If they are part of marine maintenance agreement there are rules of preparation and we apply the rules. We don’t go for governments, we apply the rules of the contract. From time to time there are cable owners who don’t want to be part of maintenance agreement because they don’t want to pay. That’s happened. And then they come back to you and they say I want to be the highest priority. There it’s become difficult to implement it.

John Omo: Thank you very much. Thank you very much for the response. Mr. Zazao Zinguo, Senior Consultant, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. I hope our interpretation is up and running. Confirm you are hearing me. Thank you. In general people are more aware of the importance of submarine cables but do you feel that governments are more actively involved in real practices and coherent policy to ensure their resilience? Do you feel that governments are doing enough in terms of coherent policy practices to ensure undersea cable resilience? And if not what more can we do?

Zhiguo Zhao: First of all, thank you for your question. I should say that submarine cables are becoming more and more highly valued. Ten years ago, submarine cables were just a tool in the mouth of engineers. Sorry, I think my panelists need the head gear so I will try to show you what could kindly help. But now, the continuous development of submarine cables is not just a matter of technology. It is also a matter of the connection between a country and the world. It is also a matter of global economic stability. It is also a matter of strategic interests of all people. The government action you mentioned just now, as a manager and a service provider, has a responsibility and mission to ensure the safety and resilience of submarine cables. Many governments are taking active action from the passive response. Especially from an international perspective, some countries have established special submarine cable organizations. They have also set up cross-departmental coordination organizations in China. Some countries have also set up special funding for the submarine cable. Some countries have mobilized maritime law enforcement forces. In general, we can see that the dialogue and cooperation between governments around the world is also increasing. From this point of view, I feel that the government’s actions are playing an active role and are becoming more and more powerful. From China’s point of view, we have also taken a series of measures in this regard. For example, as I just mentioned, we have established cross-departmental joint organizations to coordinate related affairs. We have also increased the inspection and inspection of submarines. We have also expanded popular education and strengthened international cooperation. Of course, we can also notice that compared with the relevant development, in terms of resource transfer and maritime protection, developing countries still need to be further strengthened. Indeed, they are also in a weak position. Therefore, we think that developing countries are more eager for maritime recognition. The needs of these countries should be listened to and paid attention to better. You just mentioned the government’s joint policy. I think the government, as a policy maker, should pay attention to two aspects of the government’s joint policy. One is the integrity and coordination of maritime development policy, protection policy, and disaster management policy tools. In this regard, we think that governments are constantly improving their policy tools in line with the goals of development in this country and the specific situation. Especially, as Mr. Kent mentioned just now, the ICPC has done a good job in promoting maritime recognition and the best practice. It has also formed some good practical cases, especially as a good example, which is worth learning and borrowing from each country. Of course, policy making is also a complex social project. I believe that the governments and legislators of each country are also constantly exploring and working hard. As for the other policy mentioned just now, I understand that it is about how domestic policy and international policy can be further strengthened in terms of rules or the coordination of policies between countries. For example, the EU has also made some attempts to promote the coordination of national boundaries. We think that national boundaries, especially national boundaries in the key areas of maritime communication, should try to establish a framework for multilateral cooperation on maritime recognition issues, or a common action framework, including multilateral coordination mechanisms, coordination of maritime law enforcement regulations, and the maintenance of the Hainan Sea and some mechanisms for disaster mitigation. But here, I would like to emphasize one more point, which is the direction that the government needs to work on in Hainan to protect the law. Of course, this will be further discussed in the fourth panel. Here, I would like to emphasize that Hainan is already a national or international infrastructure. It is often monitored by the laws of different countries. Indeed, it is complicated. So I think, based on the basis of respect for the sovereignty of all countries, based on the principle of equality, negotiation, consensus and openness, we should develop an international level to establish a treaty on the protection of the Hainan Sea, or to regulate and clarify the actions of the state to protect the Hainan Sea and to provide guidance for the development of policies for each country on the relevant principles such as the protection of the Hainan Sea and to promote policies and management activities of each country and to make good connections and cooperation more smoothly. Thank you.

John Omo: I would like to thank all the members of various agencies that are involved in the ecosystem and at the international level because, of course, there are various players, including International Waters. That is why I want to bring you on board, Madam Nomsa. You are working in an ecosystem, trying to bring the various players in the ecosystem, be it private, be it public, to deal with standard-setting on issues under sea cable. Talk to us about this and how you feel governments can assist more in that regard.

Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga: Thank you, S.G. From my perspective and my observation, I think everything is fine when you look at the efforts that governments are making, governments across particularly the region I am seated, and the level of participation and collaboration between the governments and the private sector. It is being driven by a need. I do not have enough data to represent across the region or internationally, but what I do know is everyone at this point has experienced some sort of outage that has impacted them one way or another. What is starting to happen is governments and the private sector are trying to reach out for solutions. What has always been present and in some way also missing has been vehicles that drive the collaboration. This is why we applaud the development of vehicles such as this one, which can come and hold hands from different sectors. You will find governments will always be more concerned about regulation and security, and the industry is more interested in developing the technical expertise and the operational expertise. Those are two parallel, even though they intersect at various levels. My observation is that this is now starting to happen more and more. When we established ACEF and we are not yet at a point where I can represent the interests of all of the stakeholders we are in engagement with or hoping to be in engagement with, what I am seeing is a common need for centralized repositories, data repositories. If I go back to some of the data that has been shared, Andy and team have been working on some very good data sets. In some cases, that is not relayed to some of the users and people that need to use some of the data sets. There is a lot of sprouting technologies which can be used, it just now takes us to take a step back and use the different vehicles to keep the conversations going and to also form community to support government and the private and public sectors so that there is continued dialogue because that is where a lot of the problems and a lot of the opportunities can sprout out. There are so many people that I see in the room, distinguished delegates as well, that are interested in moving forward, finding solutions and innovations that can help with cable resilience. Looking at it from the undersea telecom side, undersea is the blue economy and also the terrestrial side of subsea cables. Because a subsea cable in some cases doesn’t just end at the shore, there is a need for that cable to be terminated on the terrestrial. It is all efforts that everyone is trying to make and we just need to come together more often.

John Omo: Thank you very much, Madam. I think a centralised data system where people can share reliable information for purposes of decision making comes to the fore quite a bit. Yomi, last but by no means least, it is not that there is a need for greater engagement between submarine cable industry and governments, but that need is a given. How can we facilitate a lot more of that between the submarine cable industry and governments for purposes of ensuring that resilience is ensured, in your view, from where you operate as main one?

Yomi Adebayo: Thank you very much, John. As an operator, first and foremost, I want to say that I am really happy to be in this room, because right now in this room we have the centre of gravity for the submarine ecosystem. We have the operators, we have the regulators and we have all the different participants in between. This could not have been possible if not for an event that happened last year in March, I think, where we experienced an outage. It was interesting to listen to the data that was being shared by Kent, which was showing that most of the cable fault outages, 54% of them, actually happened within the exclusive economic zones of most countries. That is what happened in our case. Our cable has been in existence for the past 15 years. We have only experienced three outages. Two have been as a result of us potentially trolling activities, and one has been as a result of seismic events that happened in Cote d’Ivoire. In terms of cooperation between public and private sector, I think I am not going to rehash some of the things that a lot of people have said, a lot of good points, both in terms of proactive measures, but in terms of cable redundancy, cable resilience, cable protection. I don’t want to focus on that. I want to focus on three things. I don’t want to reframe the issue. You understand where we are coming from. Essentially, as Kent mentioned, the average mean time for repair for cables when they get caught, because you can do all the things that are right, all the proactive measures, and you still have a seismic event and your cable gets caught. The average mean time for repair, usually, on this side of the Atlantic anyway, is usually about, let’s say, depending on if you have enough spares, if you have the manpower, and most importantly, if the vessel is available, because you either belong to either of the two consortia that really drives either cable lane or cable repair, and each of the consortia possibly has maybe two or three vessels. On this side of the Atlantic, there is no single cable repair that is dedicated. When I say dedicated, I mean that is as a logistic base on this side of the Atlantic. I think there was something around South Africa some time ago. I don’t know how that went. Now, what is the issue I’m trying to frame here? Even if you have a cable repair, A, it takes you about six weeks for you to get done. B, average cost of repair is about $2 million. Average personnel cost is about $250 to $500 per day for each personnel on the vessel. Average mean time also to get all the permits is usually, depending on how efficient where the cable fault occurs, and how efficient that administration or government is, is usually maybe, maybe about four weeks. I’m getting somewhere with this. Now, if you look at all of, and the average, sorry, one last point. The average touch point in terms of government agencies that you have to either get permits from or seek permission from is usually at the very least six or seven agencies covering their maritime agencies, their customs, their immigration. The list goes on. Now, I’m speaking from a bit of a narrow experience because I’m talking on this side of the Atlantic. So, for me, in terms of… of where do I see greater cooperation happening. I think a couple of things need to happen and, you know, it’s a great thing and it’s a great initiative that, you know, we have all of the partners and operators in this room right now. I think from the, from an African, looking from an Afrocentric perspective, I think one of the things that we need to do also is to own the initiative and I’m so glad that the minister is really canvassing a lot and the fact that we were able to put this together in Nigeria is really a testament to how much we’re championing, trying to champion some of these things. Now, where do we need that investment? We need a, it’s such a, it’s amazing, sometimes when we think about it, it’s really something that is simple but at the same time we put our heart to it, you know, we will overcome the challenges and difficulties. There needs to be a logistical base within Africa, along the coast of this North and South Atlantic, right, and there needs to be a dedicated vessel that all the governments can all invest in and essentially make sure that cable repair times, the deployment time is cut down significantly and more importantly, the cost is also cut down significantly. Now when you have these issues, no matter how many proactive measures that you put in place, when you do have a disaster or a cable cut happening, now you have the ability and the capacity for a vessel to be deployed within, why can’t it be deployed within two days, three days to get to a, within a week. The other choke point is on the permitting side, right. We need to have a single, and I think that’s where we also need to see more increased flexibility from governments and if we designate submarine cables as critical national infrastructure, when they do get damaged, then there should be a single permitting source where you can, a one-stop shop where you can get all your permits for that particular vessel and they can go out and immediately do the cable repair. So again, if you complement the logistical base, right, that has a place where you have all the spares, where you have the vessel, together with a permitting, enhancing permitting process and simplify, enhancing and simplifying the permitting process, you, for this side of the region, I think you do a significantly better job. And I’m going to latch on also to one last thing that Normisa was talking about. You know, the problem on this side of the Atlantic is there’s already resilience built in a number of cables and we already have redundancy and there’s a lot of, there are about 10 cables that cover the North and South Atlantic region, if I’m counting the Ellalink and the sail cable that connects with South America. So at each of the cable operators are buying capacity off each other, so there’s a bit of redundancy, right? The 25 years ago, there was a supply issue, but now we have a supply glut. So the real issue really is on the middle mile or last mile. That is where we have the big problem on this side of the world, right? And that is where we need more cooperation again within governments, right, to make sure that, you know, the borders, we don’t see borders as geographical points where, you know, everybody isolates themselves. But rather, you know, you need to build more capillary networks across the entire Africa to make sure that the supply that gets to the shores of all these coastal states gets piped and transported to the people that need it. I think those are my prescriptions. I have a bit of other prescriptions, but time will not allow us to talk into everything. But again, I think it is really great that, you know, we have at the center of gravity all the people that are important to make things happen. And we are having these conversations now. I think what would be great is to make sure that we don’t lose the momentum or the velocity that we are creating at this point. And there are actionable steps at the end of the day that helps us to ensure that we have shared prosperity through the digital innovation and the digital infrastructure that is built across Africa. Thank you.

John Omo: Thank you. Thank you very much for those comments. I want to open the floor to the audience. I think there are a number of issues that have come from the panelists. More so, the issue, the need for a lot more cooperation and working together between government agencies, a lot more cooperation at the international plane. The fact that there is perhaps an investment opportunity for a lot more repair vessels and operation centers for a region as busy as this. So I’d like to open the floor. The Coast Guard, the Maritime Authority, the communications regulator, not talking to each other quickly enough for purposes of ensuring that licenses are given in time, permissions are given in time. And so the turnaround time when you have to see efforts of seven or so agencies when there’s an emergency is sometimes utterly frustrating. Let’s admit it. It’s not that the cable is cut because you wanted it cut. It’s cut because of some force external to the operations. Can I take three questions maximum? I see my controller is already up on her feet. So Madame will take one at the back there. Two. I was hoping that my regulator is still in the room. I’d like to see how fast he talks to his regulator at the Maritime, the Maritime Front in Lagos. OK, let’s get mics to those two. Quickly, brief to the point, don’t make statements, just ask the question and indicate whom it is directed. Honourable Minister, there’s a challenge here, perhaps when next year in cabinet, a lot more cooperation between the maritime regulator and your agency in Nigeria. Fortunately, you only have upwards of seven. I know countries where for you to get a permit to the coast, you are talking out to upwards of 15 agencies. But I think I think the sense of what has been shared here is a framework where various regulators can work, the maritime authority, the communications regulator, so that when there’s a cable cut, we deal with it as an emergency. That perhaps may be one of our tech homes this afternoon. Go ahead, sir.

Audience: My name is Christian from Ghana. When Ken was presenting, he said 70 percent of the fault is due to fishing trawlers and also anchoring. So I want to ask, what is the guidance on having cable corridors? For instance, in a country, you have more than one cable corridors where you can actually protect the cable much more because in terms of protecting the cable, you need a larger geographical distance in terms of protecting the cable on either side of the cable. And in doing what it means is you are actually limiting the fishing space for the commercial fishing vessels. So do you suggest some sort of cable corridor whereby we can have enough laws to protect the cable? Thank you.

John Omo: Thank you. I’ll reserve that to Net One and Alcatel if that’s OK. Next question, please. Let’s take all of them.

Audience: Thank you. My name is Soheil Kachi. We’re from WIOC. And my question is this. And it’s more on proactive measures towards preventing cable faults or cuts. Was that sometimes from the AIS record, we noticed, you know, we have the information on the vessels in terms of the speed, you know, maybe at zero knots within the cable protection zone. And the idea approach is to speak to the authorities who control the vessels in the Masa on MPA. But we realize and when we try to get in touch with them, you know, to notify the vessel that are within the cable protection zone to avoid, you know, anchoring or even the fishing activities, we don’t get any feedback. We don’t get a response. We don’t get any, you know, urgent intervention. And it happens that most time this at the end leads to cable caught or, you know, fault of any kind on the cable. So I don’t know how do we, you know, improve in enforcing, you know, in awareness and also getting across to the fishing and, you know, the vessel operators, you know, to help us, you know, in this aspect. Thank you.

John Omo: Thank you very much. Let’s take those two. Alcatel, you want to go first and then Etoile.

Vincent Lemaire: So I can try with the first one. My father-in-law was a fisherman. Speak up just a little bit, if you don’t mind, closer to the mic. Speak up a little bit. Speak up. Is it better there? Okay, so my father-in-law was a fisherman. And the rule for a fisherman is not seen, not catched. This was his rule, clearly. So if you want your cable not to be caught by fishermen. Look to them, follow the AIS, make sure that when they are caught, they pay the price. You will see this will strongly reduce the level of cable cut by fishermen. So really, AIS monitoring associated with your naval force will reduce, at least in your waters, the risk of having the cable cut.

Yomi Adebayo: Yeah, thanks. You know, on this cable corridor, I think it’s a great idea, it’s a great initiative. Unfortunately, again, I’m speaking from a very narrow perspective on the South Atlantic side because we see a number of the cables that have been built on this side of Africa. And unfortunately, unfortunately, at the time, there was no designation of a certain corridor, but by fortuitously, everybody has built really along the same side on within, either from north down to all the way to south. So I think it’s a great thing, you know, if you designate as a cable corridor. On the AIS, most, you find that most trawling, fish trawling, most of the fish trawling activities, most of them don’t put on their illegal fish trawling activities, most of them don’t put on their AIS. So it’s very difficult for you also to, you see it, very difficult for you to monitor and to contact those vessels. So you need a stronger enforcement body in terms of being able to address some of these things. So you need a bit of, and I guess for me, looking at it, I think one of the things, one of the prescriptive things that we can do is if, again, regionally, because it impacts everybody, if regional governments together with private sector come together and form an active body that is responsible for monitoring, and, you know, we can fund it. It’s something that it’s for the benefit and good of everybody. You have a dedicated body that is actively responsible for proactive measures in both monitoring and preventing some of these illegal fishing activities or some of making sure that people don’t go within cable corridors. That’s obviously something that would possibly work. And because also the mandate would be on original basis. So we stopped maybe doing it, approaching it from a country by country basis for those that are within the same EEZ at the very least. I think that’s one prescriptive way of going about it.

John Omo: I’ll take that to be your last comment. The lady, please go ahead.

Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga: Yeah, sure. I’m looking at it from a perspective of proactive measures for preventing cuts. In some cases, it’s not possible to prevent a cut and looking more at the EEZ potential to prevent cuts for sure. But in other cases, there’s natural disasters that happen, seismic activity that has been mentioned. And in that case, it’s a matter of streamlining processes. And we need to collaborate on this because in most cases when there is a fault, an outage, think about the worst case scenario of the 937 days it took someone to get access in a specific area. It’s very easy for us to point fingers. They don’t pick up their phones. We need to collaborate on what exactly the problem is. So we need to go dig deeper, root cause analysis, so that we help each other. You’ll find that once you communicate with them, they’ll tell you, we don’t have certain infrastructure. We do not have this and that. And I think it’s a good opportunity at this moment to start leveraging upcoming technologies, AI, drones, and trying to invest into knowledge around that and how we can leverage that to our advantage. Thank you.

John Omo: Thank you, Mr. Yassin. Briefly, your closing remarks.

Mustafa Yaasin Sheik: Thank you very much. As said, the international submarine cable is the most critical issue, is the collaboration between the different actors and the government. As you know, the submarine cable spans different territories, so they need collaboration, whether it is about the maintenance, repair, and the emergencies, preparation, and also the joint research in every area and the research and development. In the industry and the government, we have enough good practices, so from the ICBC or from ITU or from the industry as well. So, it’s better that we follow the technical guidelines and good practices, whether it is for the government or for the industry. Then, this collaboration will support a lot and will facilitate a lot upgrading our standardization in the area. Information sharing as well is another critical area between the government and also create a response framework expansion between the industry and the government again. So, I will say collaboration, collaboration, collaboration. Thank you very much.

John Omo: Thank you very much. My controller tells me there is never good time. There is never enough time for good things. But I think this is too good that in terms of our summary, a lot more need for institutional linkages in-country. We need to talk to each other. The maritime regulator, the coast guards, the communications regulator, a lot more, you know, a proactive framework where if it happens, then we have this single window where an operator goes and does not need to struggle between 10 or 7 regulators to get specific permits, each permit for purposes of, I see my regulator in Nigeria is nodding, hopefully in agreement that he’ll start talking to his maritime colleague. Certainly, also linkages between the private sector themselves in terms of the possibility of establishing regional centers where deployments of systems, of ships can easily be coordinated between the various operators. Cooperation in terms of that sort of thing can easily be funded by the ecosystem players and strong legislation. We need to see that a lot more of government is protecting these systems, just like we protect our airspace. Because this is important. West African region was off for quite some time when there was a cable cut. And it’s not good for everyone. The same applies to the East African region. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I really sincerely want to thank you. As I say, this dialogue continues. There’s never enough time for good things, and this has been good. Thank you very much, and thank you very much for being a wonderful audience. Bye-bye for now.

Agreement points

Need for collaboration between government and industry

Speakers

– Mustafa Yaasin Sheik
– Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga
– Yomi Adebayo
– John Omo

Arguments

Promoting public-private partnerships and incentives for technology development

Creating vehicles to drive collaboration between governments and private sector

Establishing a regional body for monitoring and preventing illegal activities

Need for greater institutional linkages within countries

Summary

Multiple speakers emphasized the importance of collaboration between government agencies and private sector entities to improve submarine cable resilience and protection.

Simplifying and streamlining permitting processes

Speakers

– Vincent Lemaire
– Yomi Adebayo
– John Omo

Arguments

Simplifying permits for cable repairs

Enhancing and simplifying the permitting process for cable repairs

Need for greater institutional linkages within countries

Summary

Speakers agreed on the need to simplify and streamline the permitting process for cable repairs to reduce delays and improve response times.

Importance of proactive monitoring and protection measures

Speakers

– Vincent Lemaire
– Yomi Adebayo
– Audience

Arguments

Performing regular cable monitoring using various technologies

Using AIS monitoring and naval forces to reduce cable cuts by fishermen

Designating cable corridors to protect cables from fishing and anchoring

Summary

Multiple speakers highlighted the importance of proactive measures such as regular monitoring, use of technology, and designated protection zones to prevent cable damage.

Similar viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the need for comprehensive government involvement in risk analysis, regulation, and coordination to improve submarine cable resilience.

Speakers

– Mustafa Yaasin Sheik
– Zhiguo Zhao

Arguments

Comprehensive risk analysis and regulation of submarine cable investments

Establishing cross-departmental coordination organizations and increasing inspections

Both speakers advocated for centralized resources and infrastructure to support the submarine cable industry in Africa.

Speakers

– Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga
– Yomi Adebayo

Arguments

Establishing a centralized data repository for the industry

Creating a dedicated repair vessel and logistical base for Africa

Unexpected consensus

Designation of submarine cables as critical national infrastructure

Speakers

– Yomi Adebayo
– John Omo

Arguments

Designating submarine cables as critical national infrastructure

Need for stronger legislation to protect submarine cable systems

Explanation

While not explicitly discussed by all speakers, there was an unexpected consensus on the need to elevate the status of submarine cables to critical national infrastructure, which could have significant implications for their protection and regulation.

Overall assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement included the need for enhanced collaboration between government and industry, streamlining of permitting processes, implementation of proactive monitoring and protection measures, and the importance of treating submarine cables as critical infrastructure.

Consensus level

There was a high level of consensus among the speakers on the key issues facing submarine cable resilience and protection. This consensus suggests a strong foundation for developing coordinated strategies and policies to address these challenges. The agreement on the need for collaboration and streamlined processes implies that future initiatives in this area are likely to receive broad support from both government and industry stakeholders.

Different viewpoints

Approach to cable protection

Speakers

– Vincent Lemaire
– Yomi Adebayo

Arguments

Using AIS monitoring and naval forces to reduce cable cuts by fishermen

Establishing a regional body for monitoring and preventing illegal activities

Summary

While both speakers agree on the need for monitoring and prevention, they differ in their proposed approaches. Lemaire suggests using AIS monitoring and naval forces, while Adebayo proposes establishing a regional body for monitoring and prevention.

Unexpected differences

Focus on regional vs. international solutions

Speakers

– Yomi Adebayo
– Zhiguo Zhao

Arguments

Creating a dedicated repair vessel and logistical base for Africa

Developing an international treaty on submarine cable protection

Explanation

While most speakers focused on regional or national solutions, Zhao unexpectedly emphasized the need for an international treaty, which contrasts with Adebayo’s more region-specific proposal for Africa.

Overall assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around the specific approaches to cable protection, the level of government involvement, and the scale of proposed solutions (regional vs. international).

difference_level

The level of disagreement among speakers is moderate. While there is general consensus on the importance of submarine cable resilience and the need for improved protection measures, speakers differ in their proposed solutions and approaches. These differences reflect the complexity of the issue and the need for a multi-faceted approach that considers various stakeholders and regional specificities. The implications of these disagreements suggest that a comprehensive solution may require integrating multiple approaches and fostering greater collaboration between different actors in the submarine cable ecosystem.

Partial agreements

All speakers agree on the need for improved monitoring and protection of submarine cables, but they propose different technological and organizational approaches to achieve this goal.

Speakers

– Vincent Lemaire
– Yomi Adebayo
– Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga

Arguments

Performing regular cable monitoring using various technologies

Establishing a regional body for monitoring and preventing illegal activities

Leveraging new technologies like AI and drones for cable protection

These speakers agree on the need for enhanced government involvement in submarine cable protection, but they propose different levels of intervention, ranging from partnerships to international treaties and national designations.

Speakers

– Mustafa Yaasin Sheik
– Zhiguo Zhao
– Yomi Adebayo

Arguments

Promoting public-private partnerships and incentives for technology development

Developing an international treaty on submarine cable protection

Designating submarine cables as critical national infrastructure

Similar viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the need for comprehensive government involvement in risk analysis, regulation, and coordination to improve submarine cable resilience.

Speakers

– Mustafa Yaasin Sheik
– Zhiguo Zhao

Arguments

Comprehensive risk analysis and regulation of submarine cable investments

Establishing cross-departmental coordination organizations and increasing inspections

Both speakers advocated for centralized resources and infrastructure to support the submarine cable industry in Africa.

Speakers

– Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga
– Yomi Adebayo

Arguments

Establishing a centralized data repository for the industry

Creating a dedicated repair vessel and logistical base for Africa

Key takeaways

There is a need for greater collaboration between governments, regulators, and the submarine cable industry to improve cable resilience

Governments should consider designating submarine cables as critical national infrastructure

Simplifying and streamlining permitting processes for cable repairs is crucial

Regular monitoring, maintenance, and upgrading of submarine cable systems is important

Establishing regional repair vessels and logistical bases could improve response times to cable faults

Creating centralized data repositories and information sharing mechanisms would benefit the industry

Leveraging new technologies like AI and drones could enhance cable protection efforts

Resolutions and action items

Explore the possibility of establishing a dedicated repair vessel and logistical base for Africa

Consider creating a regional body for monitoring and preventing illegal activities that threaten cables

Investigate ways to streamline permitting processes for cable repairs across agencies

Look into designating specific cable corridors to protect cables from fishing and anchoring activities

Unresolved issues

How to effectively enforce restrictions on fishing and anchoring in cable protection zones

Specific mechanisms for improving coordination between maritime authorities and cable operators

Details on implementing a centralized data repository for the industry

Concrete steps for enhancing collaboration between different government agencies involved in cable regulation and protection

Suggested compromises

Joint funding and operation of regional repair vessels and monitoring systems by both governments and private sector companies

Creating a single-window permitting system that balances the needs of multiple regulatory agencies with the urgency of cable repairs

The government can start by comprehensive risk analysis in their region, the unique challenges both in the operational aspect, or also in the aspect of the physical risks in their environment, which is unique maybe in their special region, where the submarine cable is landing their station.

Speaker

Mustafa Yaasin Sheik

Reason

This comment highlights the importance of tailored risk assessment for each region, recognizing that challenges can vary significantly based on local conditions.

Impact

It shifted the discussion towards more specific, localized approaches to submarine cable resilience rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

From time to time cable owners ask us to perform what we call the cyber security penetration test on their station and I can tell you the results are not always very good. Sometimes they are very good, sometimes they are very poor.

Speaker

Vincent Lemaire

Reason

This comment brings attention to the often overlooked aspect of cybersecurity in submarine cable infrastructure, highlighting a potential vulnerability.

Impact

It broadened the scope of the discussion to include digital threats alongside physical ones, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security measures.

We think that developing countries are more eager for maritime recognition. The needs of these countries should be listened to and paid attention to better.

Speaker

Zhiguo Zhao

Reason

This comment brings focus to the specific needs and challenges of developing countries in the context of submarine cable infrastructure.

Impact

It prompted the discussion to consider equity and inclusivity in global submarine cable policies and practices.

There needs to be a logistical base within Africa, along the coast of this North and South Atlantic, right, and there needs to be a dedicated vessel that all the governments can all invest in and essentially make sure that cable repair times, the deployment time is cut down significantly and more importantly, the cost is also cut down significantly.

Speaker

Yomi Adebayo

Reason

This comment proposes a concrete, collaborative solution to improve cable repair efficiency in Africa.

Impact

It shifted the conversation from identifying problems to proposing specific, actionable solutions, encouraging other participants to think in similar terms.

We need to have a single, and I think that’s where we also need to see more increased flexibility from governments and if we designate submarine cables as critical national infrastructure, when they do get damaged, then there should be a single permitting source where you can, a one-stop shop where you can get all your permits for that particular vessel and they can go out and immediately do the cable repair.

Speaker

Yomi Adebayo

Reason

This comment addresses the bureaucratic challenges in cable repair and proposes a streamlined solution.

Impact

It highlighted the need for regulatory reform and inter-agency cooperation, prompting discussion on how to simplify and expedite repair processes.

Overall assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by broadening its scope from purely technical concerns to include geopolitical, economic, and regulatory aspects of submarine cable resilience. They highlighted the need for tailored, region-specific approaches, brought attention to cybersecurity concerns, emphasized the importance of including developing countries in decision-making processes, and proposed concrete solutions for improving repair efficiency and streamlining bureaucratic processes. The discussion evolved from identifying problems to proposing actionable solutions, encouraging a more collaborative and forward-thinking approach to submarine cable resilience.

How can we establish a centralized data repository for submarine cable information?

Speaker

Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga

Explanation

A centralized repository would allow better sharing of data and information between stakeholders to support decision-making and collaboration.

What steps can be taken to establish a dedicated cable repair vessel and logistical base for the African Atlantic coast?

Speaker

Yomi Adebayo

Explanation

This would significantly reduce repair times and costs for cable outages in the region.

How can we create a simplified, single-window permitting process for cable repairs?

Speaker

Yomi Adebayo

Explanation

Streamlining the permitting process across multiple agencies would allow for faster emergency responses to cable damage.

What is the best approach for establishing protected cable corridors?

Speaker

Christian from Ghana

Explanation

Designated cable corridors could help protect cables from fishing and anchoring damage while balancing the needs of commercial fishing.

How can we improve enforcement and intervention when vessels are detected in cable protection zones?

Speaker

Soheil Kachi

Explanation

Better responsiveness from maritime authorities could help prevent cable damage from anchoring or fishing activities.

What opportunities exist to leverage new technologies like AI and drones for cable protection and monitoring?

Speaker

Nomsa Muswai Mwayenga

Explanation

Emerging technologies could provide new ways to monitor and protect submarine cables.

How can we establish a regional body for proactive monitoring and prevention of illegal fishing and cable damage?

Speaker

Yomi Adebayo

Explanation

A collaborative regional approach could be more effective than country-by-country efforts.