- Project HEIST wants to mitigate physical sabotaging of underwater cables
- HEIST is expected to use laser optics rather than radio
- Exabytes of data flow in more than 1 million Km of fiber across the globe
NATO is reportedly developing a satellite-based backup for global internet communications to address vulnerabilities exposed by recent undersea cable disruptions.
The project, known as HEIST (hybrid space-submarine architecture ensuring infosec of telecommunications), comes in response to the February 2024 incident when the cargo ship Rubymar, struck by a Houthi missile attack, dragged its anchor across the Red Sea floor, severing three fiber-optic cables.
A report by IEEE Spectrum claims these cables carried about a quarter of all internet traffic between Europe and Asia, forcing data rerouting and highlighting the fragile nature of global internet infrastructure.
Ready for testing
Over 95% of intercontinental internet traffic relies on undersea fiber-optic cables, with more than 1.2 million kilometers of them stretching across the planet. These thin cables lie unburied across deep-sea floors, making them vulnerable to accidental damage and sabotage.
The Rubymar incident was unintentional, but Western officials have evidence of deliberate undersea cable sabotage by state actors, such as Russia and China. NATO has already announced plans to prevent this happening in the future using undersea drones.
HEIST aims to address such threats by ensuring critical internet pathways remain operational even when fiber lines are compromised.
The project has two key objectives: to rapidly detect cable damage and precisely locate breaks, and to expand the capacity to reroute data through alternative channels, including satellites. The focus will be on diverting high-priority data to satellites, reducing reliance on vulnerable seabed cables.
The project will begin testing in 2025 at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. Researchers from multiple countries, including the US, Sweden, Iceland, and Switzerland, will work to develop faster break detection systems capable of pinpointing damage with accuracy to within one meter.
The researchers will also explore satellite-based failsafes using higher-bandwidth laser optics, which can transmit far more data than current radio-based satellite systems.
While satellite throughput is limited compared to fiber, the HEIST team is focusing on expanding bandwidth through technologies like infrared lasers, already in use on Starlink satellites.
Although no single solution currently exists, NATO’s goal is to create a diverse and resilient network, ensuring secure global communications in emergencies.
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