Angola Cables has announced that its Executive Board Member and Chief Commercial Officer, Rui Faria, has been appointed as a member of the newly formed International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Agency for Digital Technologies, and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC), a leading organization promoting submarine cable protection, recently established this advisory body.
Subsea cables and their infrastructure form the backbone of the global digital economy, enabling over 99% of international data exchange. These cables facilitate communication, finance, cloud services, and critical infrastructure operations across borders. However, despite their importance, submarine cables remain vulnerable to threats ranging from natural disasters to accidental damage. With the world’s growing reliance on stable, high-speed internet, ensuring the resilience and protection of these cables has become a critical global priority.
Faria emphasized the vital role of the Advisory Body in safeguarding the integrity of intercontinental submarine cables. “As a company, we have been providing technical support to an extensive scientific research project conducted by the Department of Geography and Earth Science at Durham University in the UK. This research examines the causes and impacts of naturally occurring cable failures in the Congo River Canyon Crossing in West Africa,” he noted.
“With the increasing number of cables coming into operation, greater efforts must be made to identify and mitigate accidental damage and other risks that could impact submarine cable networks,” Faria added. “This makes the work of this multi-stakeholder advisory body even more significant.”
As one of the 42 Advisory Body members, Faria brings over 30 years of experience in the subsea cable industry in Africa. His appointment was facilitated by the Angolan Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies, and Social Communication (MINTTICS), which aims to enhance the country’s telecom infrastructure and diversify its economy.
The Advisory Body includes Ministers, Heads of Regulatory Authorities, industry executives, and senior experts in submarine cable operations. It serves as a collaborative platform for governments, regulatory authorities, industry leaders, and stakeholders to enhance the safety, redundancy, and protection of submarine cables.
“Collaboration among countries and stakeholders, both technical and scientific, is essential for implementing effective measures to safeguard submarine cable infrastructure,” Faria stated. “Together, we can protect the integrity of undersea data corridors, which are the lifeblood of our global, digitally enabled economy.”
