Shaping the Future of Subsea Telecoms
Grant-funded research, addressing critical challenges in global digital infrastructure
Projects
The SubOptic Foundation conducts applied research to explore key issues in global subsea telecom infrastructure. Funded by grants, our studies result in best practice reports designed to inform subsea cable companies, operators, governments, and other stakeholders. By sharing findings through media partnerships and industry events, we help advance industry knowledge and drive meaningful change. Our research evolves to meet the industry’s most pressing challenges.
Current focus areas include:
Sustainable Subsea Networks
Investigating and enhancing the sustainability of the global subsea telecommunications network.
Strategic Resilience Project
Enhancing network security and reliability, with a focus on the Caribbean.
Sustainable Subsea Networks
Our first phase of the project, from 2021-2023, generated a Report on Best Practices in Subsea Telecommunications Cable Sustainability, and the first Congress on Sustainability in the subsea industry at SubOptic 2023. In the second phase of the project, from 2023-2025, we are finalizing a carbon footprint of a subsea cable system and are investigating metrics for subsea cable sustainability.
Sustainable Subsea Networks Report
Sustainable Subsea Networks, a research initiative of the SubOptic Foundation, is an academic-industry collaboration to enhance the sustainability of subsea telecommunications cables. This report is the culmination of two years of research conducted between 2021 and 2023 on the subsea cable industry’s best practices in sustainability.
Sustainable Subsea Networks Map
In collaboration with TeleGeography, we developed a Sustainable Subsea Networks Map. This map represents the best practices of twenty companies involved in the construction, operation, maintenance, or recovery of subsea cables. It offers a snapshot of the diverse contributions of this global industry.
Congress on Sustainability
The SubOptic Foundation Congress on Sustainability, an event that made subsea history as the first intentional gathering of members from across sectors and around the world to discuss metrics for sustainability in the subsea cable industry. It gathered industry leaders to share insights from ongoing initiatives and potential strategies for the cable networks of the future.
Sustainable Subsea Networks Report
In Phase 2 of the Sustainability Project, SubOptic members have come together to lead Working Groups focused on developing sustainability metrics for subsea cable systems. These groups are tackling different aspects of the overarching goal to create more sustainable subsea networks.
Strategic Resilience Project
This two-year study focuses on improving network resilience and reducing vulnerabilities in the subsea telecoms cable infrastructure. It will include case studies of three Caribbean Islands: Dominica, Puerto Rico, and Turks & Caicos. The research, funded by a grant from ISOC, will result in a report will highlight the need for cooperation and collaboration between states and developers to ensure that subsea network development serves the resilience needs of all stakeholders not just project developers.
