- The HEIST project aims to mitigate physical sabotage of submarine cables
- HEIST should use laser optics rather than radio
- Exabytes of data flow through more than a million miles of fiber around the world
NATO is reportedly developing a satellite backup for global internet communications to address vulnerabilities exposed by recent undersea cable disruptions.
The project, known as HEIST (Hybrid Space-Submarine Architecture Ensuring Telecommunications Security), follows the February 2024 incident when the cargo ship Rubymar, hit by a Houthi missile attack, dragged its anchor on the bottom of the Red Sea, cutting three fiber optic cables.
A report of IEEE Spectrum says these cables carry about a quarter of all internet traffic between Europe and Asia, forcing data rerouting and highlighting the fragile nature of the world’s internet infrastructure.
Ready for testing
More than 95% of intercontinental Internet traffic relies on submarine fiber optic cables, more than 1.2 million kilometers of which stretch across the planet. These thin cables are not buried on the seabed, making them vulnerable to accidental damage and sabotage.
The Rubymar incident was unintentional, but Western officials have evidence of deliberate sabotage of undersea cables by state actors, such as Russia and China. NATO has already announced its intention to prevent this from happening in the future by using underwater drones.
HEIST aims to address these threats by ensuring that critical Internet pathways remain operational even when fiber optic lines are compromised.
The project has two key goals: to quickly detect cable damage and accurately locate breaks, and to expand the ability to redirect 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 several countries, including the United States, Sweden, Iceland and Switzerland, will work to develop faster break detection systems that can locate damage with an accuracy of one meter.
Researchers will also explore satellite security systems using higher bandwidth laser optics, which can transmit significantly more data than current radio satellite systems.
Although satellite throughput is limited compared to fiber optics, the HEIST team is focused on expanding bandwidth through technologies such as infrared lasers, already used on Starlink satellites.
Although there is currently no single solution, NATO’s goal is to create a diverse and resilient network, ensuring secure global communications in times of emergency.
