By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee
(ICPC) have launched the Report of the Working Groups 2026, marking the
conclusion of a two-year global initiative aimed at strengthening the
resilience of submarine telecommunications cables.
The report was unveiled
during the final meeting of the International Advisory Body (IAB) on Submarine
Cable Resilience at the WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva.
The International Advisory
Body, a joint initiative of the ITU and the ICPC, brought together governments,
regulators, industry leaders, academia, international organisations and members
of the technical community to develop practical recommendations for
safeguarding submarine cable infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch, ITU
Deputy Secretary-General Tomas Lamanauskas, who serves as Co-Executive
Secretary of the International Advisory Body, described the report as the
culmination of two years of collaborative work to enhance the resilience of one
of the world's most critical digital infrastructures.
He noted that the initiative
progressed through meetings held in Abuja, Porto and Geneva under the
leadership of co-chairs Dr. Bosun Tijani, Nigeria's Minister of Communications,
Innovation and Digital Economy, and Sandra Maximiano.
According to the ITU, the
working groups developed recommendations to improve the resilience of submarine
telecommunications cables, which carry more than 99 percent of global
international data traffic and underpin the world's digital economy.
Lamanauskas thanked the
co-chairs, the ICPC, members of the International Advisory Body, working group
participants and partner organisations for their contributions to the
initiative.
He said the publication of
the report represents an important milestone in global efforts to protect
submarine cable infrastructure while emphasizing that continued international
cooperation will be essential to strengthen the resilience of global communications
networks.
The report is expected to
support policymakers, regulators, operators and other stakeholders as they work
to improve the security, reliability and sustainability of international
submarine cable systems amid growing global dependence on digital connectivity.
