The Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre (CCRC) joined Governments and industry leaders from across Southeast Asia to participate in an ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) seminar on submarine cables in Jakarta in February 2025 to strengthen cooperation on undersea cable resilience, recognising its vital role in the region’s digital future through.
Funded through the Australia for ASEAN Futures (Aus4ASEAN Futures) initiative, the event brought together government, industry and technical experts to highlight shared challenges facing cable networks, from natural hazards and accidental damage to security risks; and explore how regional collaboration can improve the security, maintenance and management of the submarine cables that keep the world connected.
Seminar speakers emphasised the need for closer cooperation, coordination and shared expertise to keep data flowing even when cables are disrupted. For the CCRC, the seminar was an opportunity to share Australia’s experience in building secure and reliable digital infrastructure, to highlight the importance of regional partnerships in protecting shared assets beneath the sea, and to support the Cable Centre’s efforts in South East Asia to promote best practice in the regulation and management of undersea cable networks.
In the lead up to the event, the CCRC worked closely with colleagues from Singapore’s InfoComm Media Development Authority, as chair of ASEAN’s Working Group on Submarine Cables, to shape an agenda to directly inform their work to update ASEAN’s 2019 Guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of Submarine Cables - an important initiative that demonstrates the region’s commitment to safeguarding the backbone of global connectivity.