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Workshops explore the futures of undersea cables across the Indo-Pacific – Read more
Governments, industry leaders and technical experts from across the Indo-Pacific came together through a series of regional workshops in Singapore, New Delhi and Melbourne to explore how undersea cable networks could evolve to meet the region’s future connectivity needs.Using scenario-based planning, participants examined how social, environmental and economic factors might shape the region’s digital infrastructure by 2045, and what steps were needed to strengthen resilience.The workshops formed part of the Futures of Undersea Cables initiative, led by the Tech Policy Design Institute. The project was delivered in collaboration with the ANU National Security College Futures Hub and the Tech for Good Institute and supported by the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre (CCRC). The project aimed to encourage thinking beyond current issues and consider how undersea cable requirements may change over the coming decades, as a means to identify opportunities for governments and industry to work together to ensure future connectivity and protection.Across the three workshops, participants explored diverse perspectives on the challenges of growing data demand, investment needs, and the potential role of emerging technologies such as satellite networks. The sessions also examined best-practice approaches in technical assistance, research and policy analysis, and knowledge sharing—laying the groundwork for stronger cable protection frameworks and improved regional cooperation.The findings from the workshops have resulted in the report, Beneath the Surface: Critical Connections and Regional Futures, which presents a multimedia Cables Futures Toolkit to empower stakeholders and enable engaging and constructive dialogue across the region recommendations for strengthening cable resilience across the Indo-Pacific.
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Launch of the Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre – Read more
Today, Australia is launching a new Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre, to help ensure undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific are resilient and all countries can benefit from reliable connectivity and the growth of the digital economy.This work is integral to the prosperity and security of our region. From emails to e-commerce, accessing news, social media and streaming content, we rely on a vast network of undersea cables, which carry over 95 per cent of international data traffic.Australia will invest more than $18 million over the next four years in the Centre, which will draw on our extensive undersea telecommunications cables expertise and experience to:Provide technical assistance and training across the Indo-Pacific.Commission research and analysis to support Indo-Pacific governments with policy development, regulations and decision-making regarding undersea cables.Share information and host dialogues to strengthen engagement between Indo-Pacific governments and industry.The Centre is an important Australian contribution to the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, which is an important demonstration of the Quad's delivery in the region, responding to the Indo-Pacific's most pressing challenges.The Centre is a whole of Australian Government initiative, embedded within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
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