NATO is financing a program to provide satellite-based connectivity in the wake of subsea cable issues in Europe.
Bloomberg reports researchers are looking for a way to ‘seamlessly reroute’ Internet traffic from subsea cables to satellites in the event of natural disasters or sabotage.
NATO will reportedly support the project with a grant of €400k ($433,600) for the $2.5 million project through its Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS).
While it hasn’t been officially announced yet, Eyup Kuntay Turmus — adviser and program manager of the SPS — confirmed the project’s recent approval and imminent start to Bloomberg. The initiative is expected to officially launch later this month.
Project HEIST (Hybrid Space and Submarine Architecture to Ensure Information Security of Telecommunications) is developing tools to detect disturbances on cables down to the nearest meter; the system will automatically reroute data via satellite. For the first two years, HEIST will focus on testing prototypes and navigating regulations, and be partially run at an underwater testing site with high-voltage cables near the city of Karlskrona, Sweden’s largest naval base. Satellite firm Viasat is said to be involved in the project, as are Sierra Space and security firm Syndis.
The vast majority of damage to subsea fiber cables is caused by fishing activity, while significant outages can be caused by undersea rockslides, seismic activity, and other natural events. Data is often already re-routed via satellites if no alternative cables are available – for example if island nations with only one cable see an incident.
Subsea cables offer far more capacity than satellites. Data from EuroConsult suggests total global satellite capacity is estimated to reach 50Tbps by 2026 (currently sitting somewhere around 25Tbps), while total subsea cable capacity for 2026 is predicted to reach 8,750Tbps.
However, amid ongoing tensions between Europe and Russia, and the US and China, concerns about potential sabotage of cables are increasing.
NATO has previously warned that Moscow may damage cables are part of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last year said damage to a telecommunications cable running under the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Estonia was “purposeful.”
In other recent satellite news:
– Eutelsat’s OneWeb has signed a partnership with Argentinian satellite firm Orbith. Orbith will provide Internet connectivity to SMEs and companies in the country via OneWeb’s constellation.
– Gilat has signed a deal with Internet Para Todos (IPT) to deliver Cellular Backhaul services across rural areas in Peru. The follow-on 6-year order is worth more than $10 million.
– Clay Lacy Aviation has completed its first five SpaceX Starlink installations on planes. Terminals have been installed on three Gulfstream G550s, a G650ER, and a Bombardier Global 6000.
