NATO has announced a new project aimed at enhancing the resilience of global internet infrastructure by rerouting data through space in the event of disruptions to undersea cables.

The $2.5 million project, partially funded by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) programme, was launched on 31 July 2024.

The project seeks to address the vulnerability of critical internet infrastructure, particularly the reliance on undersea cables, which are susceptible to attacks or accidental damage.

The initiative will develop a hybrid network that combines submarine cables with satellite communications to ensure the continuous flow of data, even if these cables are compromised.

According to Dr Eyup Turmus, SPS Advisor and Programme Manager at NATO, “Through this SPS-supported project, NATO is bringing together Allies, prominent institutions including Cornell, John Hopkins Bifröst, and Swedish Defence Universities and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology as well as telecommunications companies to address the urgent need for a more resilient internet infrastructure worldwide.”

The project is expected to produce a working prototype within two years, with a demonstration planned at the Blekinge Institute of Technology, part of the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Maritime Research Centre in Sweden.

The consortium leading the project, known as the Hybrid Space/Submarine Architecture Ensuring Infosec of Telecommunications (HEIST), aims to integrate existing technologies, tackle legal and jurisdictional challenges, and promote international collaboration between NATO Allies and partners, including the United States, Iceland, Sweden, and Switzerland.

This initiative reflects NATO’s ongoing efforts to safeguard critical infrastructure and ensure the stability of global communications in an increasingly complex and contested digital environment.

Tom has spent the last 13 years working in the defence industry, specifically military and commercial shipbuilding. His work has taken him around Europe and the Far East, he is currently based in Scotland.
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Supportive Bloke
Supportive Bloke (@guest_844512)
1 month ago

Bandwidth?

The undersea cables have a lot higher bandwidth and lower latency than satellite comms…..

Unless we are talking LEO?

I also misread the article to say $2.5Bn it is $2.5m so it just about funds a small university research group for a year……

Julian
Julian (@guest_844581)
1 month ago

If the space component was a mixture of LEO stuff and geostationary with the LEO orbits and the geostationary position optimised to connect defined (unmoving) fixed points on the planet, e.g. two ends of a transatlantic cable that got damaged, you could do some bandwidth and latency optimisation via traffic analysis by intelligently routing traffic at send (uplink) time, e.g. send all email via the geostationary link so that valuable lower latency LEO bandwidth isn’t wasted on someone emailing their overly long and elaborate PowerPoint presentation to a colleague. Also, if you know your LEO constellation is only going to… Read more »

Expat
Expat (@guest_844765)
1 month ago
Reply to  Julian

I would assume on a war footing all non essential traffic would be blocked.

FormerUSAF
FormerUSAF (@guest_844772)
1 month ago

Hmmm…All hail Elon Musk? 🤔😳

Ron
Ron (@guest_844517)
1 month ago

Nothing new I very often built networks with satillite backup. There is one issue with sat com, time delay. A straight up down link has about a 0.25 of a second delay, if you then have to hop between satelittes that can increase up to a full second delay in each direction. Thats not to bad for data but live speach or video and it becomes a bit of a bug bear. The other issue with sat com is sun fade.

Gunbuster
Gunbuster (@guest_844522)
1 month ago

Good idea. In my previous life I worked for a few years at NCIS the NATO Comms and IT organisation….Strange job for a hydraulics, heavy electrics and stuff that goes whoosh and bang Engineer… But hey, variety is the spice of life and Naples was a great 3 years! NATO secret IT network comms between all NATO bases go over commercial internet/ data connections. Not an issue because it’s all IPSec encrypted before it leaves the NATO servers and it cannot be intercepted or hacked. If we lost a civilian data backbone (it did happen) then the network reroutes automatically… Read more »

Mark F
Mark F (@guest_844603)
1 month ago

Am I right in thinking that GW1 was slightly “delayed”, whilst they reposition more satellites over the area, so they could ensure fast and full coverage of the expected battlefield or it that me just getting old.

Baker
Baker (@guest_844608)
1 month ago

Just bring back Morse and Semaphore .🤔

Frank62
Frank62 (@guest_844616)
1 month ago
Reply to  Baker

Was Semaphore inspector Morse’s sidekick?

Baker
Baker (@guest_844635)
1 month ago
Reply to  Frank62

I think he was, yes. I did hear that he was originally going to be French but the producers could only find white flags.

There, that should trigger a few !!!!😄
I’ll get my coat. .

Mark Kennett
Mark Kennett (@guest_844787)
1 month ago
Reply to  Baker

The theme tune to Inspector Morse is the word ‘Morse’ in Morse.

Mark Kennett
Mark Kennett (@guest_844786)
1 month ago
Reply to  Baker

You would need a very strong pair of binoculars to read a message this way between for example Lands End and New York! (Morse could work this way between Dover and Calais on a clear day).

Frank62
Frank62 (@guest_844612)
1 month ago

Seems to me that if undersea cables are being cut it’s also probable that NATO & Russia/China would be knocking out each others sattelites, making near space virtually uninhabitable for sattelites due to the sheer amount of debris generated. So we could end up with localised net services.

Baker
Baker (@guest_844637)
1 month ago
Reply to  Frank62

It is terrible how we behave given that so far, Earth is the only known inhabited planet in the entire Universe and all we seem to want to do is destroy it along with each other and near space.

Expat
Expat (@guest_844767)
1 month ago
Reply to  Frank62

Way things are going we won’t need a war to have restricted interest 😀

DaveyB
DaveyB (@guest_844742)
1 month ago

Interesting to see Switzerland in that list?

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach (@guest_844747)
1 month ago

Off point..I’ve just read Labour intend to cut Defence R&D by 20 per cent. I wonder whether there’s any point in waiting for the Strategic Dfence Cuts Review??

Expat
Expat (@guest_844763)
1 month ago
Reply to  Geoff Roach

Yeah but it was the Torygraph. However I said cuts we’re coming Labour will now go team Europe on RnD of course lumping the blame on the previous government. So predictable . Defence reviews are rigged by both parties, for instance you can say you want a security agreement with Europe and not give that as parameter for the review body. Boris had his global Britain as another example. I actually don’t mind they’re rigged but it bugs me political class lie about it. Cuts have to come because of the pay award, which was needed but should have been… Read more »

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli (@guest_844829)
1 month ago
Reply to  Geoff Roach

I thought it had been substantially raised recently? So may be just reduced to as before?

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach (@guest_844887)
1 month ago

I know you agree with me but what we need more than anything is stablity. We’re not going to get it if decisions are made even before the Strategic Defence Cuts Review takes place.

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli (@guest_844892)
1 month ago
Reply to  Geoff Roach

Agree. We do need stability.
It never happens. SDSRs every 5 years turn things round time and again.
The Army, above all, has suffered from this trying to organise itself.

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach (@guest_844908)
1 month ago

👍

Expat
Expat (@guest_844766)
1 month ago

I wonder if Starlink is part of the mix. That would be amusing.

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach (@guest_844771)
1 month ago
Reply to  Expat

Could be the DT but what if the story is true. Defence farce review cometh. We know the Tories were crap but it can only get worse and now there is even less meat to cut off the carcass.🐂

Expat
Expat (@guest_844783)
1 month ago
Reply to  Geoff Roach

Objectively cooperation on RnD with Europe would save money but it would also mean loss of sovereign capability. The defence review will focus on Europe and UK jobs. The latter is to satisfy the unions but the unions focus is largely blue collar abd won’t care if UK factories are making a UK designed bit of kit or stuff designed in Europe. Of course critics will say we cooperate now but this would be a whole new level and would mean successful things like AUKUS or the export success of T26 will never happen again. Keep in mind also Labour… Read more »

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach (@guest_844886)
1 month ago
Reply to  Expat

Loss of sovereign capability is potentially forever. If Labour go there normal route of pretend European programming there are going to destroy that capability, not that I suppose that matters to Reeves one way or the other.

Expat
Expat (@guest_845006)
1 month ago
Reply to  Geoff Roach

I think sovereignty has been a major problem for the political class for sometime.

Geoff Roach
Geoff Roach (@guest_845155)
1 month ago
Reply to  Expat

Always…

Simon
Simon (@guest_844931)
1 month ago
Reply to  Expat

R&D Tax Credits have already been cut back, partly it would seem due to the amount of fraud that was going on.

Expat
Expat (@guest_845005)
1 month ago
Reply to  Simon

Yep but wouldn’t it have been better to tackle the fraud rather than penalise genuine RnD with carpet reductions. That’s what any one sensible would have done. So objectively fraud just looks like an excuse to increase the tax burden.

Dragonwight
Dragonwight (@guest_846316)
1 month ago
Reply to  Expat

Or Oneweb, which the last Conservative government bought into and is now looking very promising with its constellation of Leo satellites.