Satellite communications, 5G, the internet, fibre optic cables, and WiFi have completely changed how people share information and connect globally. More than 97% of the world’s intercontinental internet and communication traffic is carried by more than 750,000 miles of delicate undersea fibre-optic cables that run across the ocean floor. These cables quietly facilitate approximately $10 trillion in financial transactions every day, as well as vast amounts of sensitive information that support everything from international trade to military activities. Because of the high stakes, even the US Coast Guard views these cables as a national security issue.
Despite playing such a vital role in our daily lives, these undersea cables hardly get any attention unless something goes wrong. A recent example is the cutting of the PEACE cable in the Red Sea, which affects the 15,000 km Pakistan and East Africa connecting Europe cable, which disrupted internet access in parts of East Africa. It serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of the invisible infrastructure is, and how a single disruption can have a profound impact on entire nations and economies.
Pakistan is taking a strategic position in this quiet but high-stakes game of control and connectivity. Pakistan is emerging as a key hub in the global internet network, situated in the middle of the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. It is positioned to become a digital bridge between continents due to the PEACE cable that connects Pakistan to France, with an extension to Singapore, serving as a significant link between Africa, Europe, and Asia. and its involvement in the SEA-ME-WE 6 project.
This article delves into the strategic significance of these undersea cables, the geopolitical implications of their security and control, and Pakistan’s crucial role in this critical infrastructure landscape.
Global Strategic Importance of Undersea Cables
In the global communication landscape of the 21st century, underwater cables are a valuable commodity. The undersea consortium is owned by several multinational corporations, including ATT, which offers high-speed broadband access and capacity for large geographical areas that are crucial hubs for international trade and communications.
Today, more than 95% of global data is carried by undersea fibre optic cables, which are important infrastructure for information and communications technology (ICT). These cables are also turning into a highly significant arena of great power competition between the United States, China, and other state actors like Russia. This infrastructure, which serves as the foundation of the internet and global telecommunications, efficiently enables both everyday personal internet use and more general societal tasks. Undersea infrastructure is also crucial for sensitive government communications.
Given the increasing strategic significance of undersea cable networks, authoritarian corporate control poses geopolitical challenges since it gives state actors the ability to decide when, where, and how cables are constructed, as well as “enable data interception and development of technological dependence” across international borders.
Undersea cables are essential for real-time communications and data exchange because they offer higher bandwidth, reduced latency, and improved security when compared to satellites.
Pakistan’s Emerging Role in Global Undersea Cables
Pakistan is establishing itself as a strategic hub for international data transmission and is quickly becoming a key player in the global undersea cable networks. Several significant initiatives and collaborations that strengthen Pakistan’s position in global connectivity highlight its development.
PEACE Cable (Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe)
In 2022, a 15,000 km route connecting Pakistan and East Africa to Europe opened from Pakistan to France. It was then extended 6,500 kilometres from Pakistan to Singapore, with the main trunk landing in Singapore, Pakistan, Kenya, Egypt, and France and branches to the Maldives, Malta, Cyprus, and other places.
To meet the increasing demands for regional capacity, the PEACE cable system is built with the newest 200g transmission technology and WSS ROAMD BU technology, which can send more than 16 Tbps fibre pair. By implementing the shortest direct route connectivity, offering affordable capacity in a region that is experiencing economic growth, and improving route diversity between Asia, Africa, and Europe, this PEACE cable significantly reduces network latency.
TW1
Pakistan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates are all connected by the 1,300-kilometre-long submarine communications cable. Transworld Associates, a Tier-1 provider based in Pakistan, owns and runs it. The cable can handle 1.28 Tbit/s and uses DWDM technology with two fibre pairs. Transworld hired Huawei Marine (HMN) in 2016 to expand the TW1 cable system by hundreds of Gbit/s wavelengths.
AAE-1
The 25,000-kilometre Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1) submarine cable connects Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and France. It passes through Egypt on its way from Southeast Asia to Europe. The AAE-1 cable system was launched in 2017. It has a design capacity of more than 40 Tbps on five fibre pairs, and it strengthens Pakistan’s international bandwidth capabilities.
Pakistan-China Fibreoptic Cable
The $44 million, 820-kilometre underground Pak-China Fibre Optic Cable, which links Rawalpindi to the Chinese border at Khunjerab Pass, is supported by a 172-kilometre aerial cable. The port of Gwadar in Balochistan, a major hub in China’s infrastructure-driven investment in the South Asian nation worth over $50 billion, known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is anticipated to be connected to the project in a second phase. In addition to strengthening the two nations’ digital connections, this project creates opportunities for growth at Gwadar Port.
Pakistan is strengthening its position as a key hub in the digital infrastructure, linking important regions in Asia, Africa, and Europe through these strategic initiatives and partnerships.
Geopolitical Implications
With the SEA-ME-WE 6 and PEACE cables, Pakistan is strategically positioned as a major participant in the Asia-Africa-Europe undersea cable network, The SEA-ME-WE 6, and PEACE cables. This enables Pakistan to have greater control over regional data traffic, increasing its value in international relations and commerce. Pakistan can improve its geopolitical position and build stronger relationships with other powers by enhancing international data flow access through its territories.
Pakistan stands to benefit from the competition, especially from the United States and China, for control over international digital infrastructure. Pakistan can gain more from the region’s rivalry by becoming involved with the Chinese BRI and partnering with Western tech companies.
Policy and Security Overview
There are new opportunities for espionage and data breaches with the growth of undersea cable networks. Previously, there have been attempts by some intelligence units to internally straddle undersea cables, which puts data security at risk. Keeping data integrity and confidentiality is important considering the context of Pakistan’s integration into global communication systems.
In response to these issues, Pakistan has made some broad policy changes to improve cybersecurity. The formation of Pakistan Computer Emergency Response Team, aimed at responding to cyber threats, was created in 2024 to improve the country’s digital security. The telecommunication authority of Pakistan is also trying to increase the number of landing stations for the undersea cables and add redundancy systems to limit the amount of damage disruptions can cause. Pakistan is also cooperating with Starlink, a satellite-based internet service, to lessen the dependency on undersea cables and strengthen the network.
With the geopolitical factors being as volatile, building new relations and safeguarding the existing ones requires active strategies as Pakistan develops its undersea cable network.
Conclusion
Cables are becoming as strategically important as oil pipelines and trade routes – these are essential for communication, trade, and transportation. For Pakistan, however, this specific form of infrastructure can help improve the geo-economics of the country.
Pakistan is changing its global digital ecosystem by hosting important nodes like PEACE, TW1, and AAE-1 and working on initiatives like the Pak-China Fibre Optic Cable; Pakistan is transforming its standing in the global digital ecosystem. With such opportunities, however, comes responsibility.
As Pakistan integrates into the global communications network, ensuring data and espionage integrity and managing relations with competing superpowers becomes critical. These, alongside some strategic foresight, will enable robust cybersecurity policies to be enacted. If these aspects are dealt with, Pakistan stands to significantly benefit from its standing as a clear contender in the battle of regional data infrastructures and a secured ,internationally trusted location.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).