Vocus has urged authorities to establish new submarine cable protection zones in response to the increasing deployment of cables outside existing zones in Sydney and Perth.
In a submission to the government’s cyber security strategy Discussion paper, Vocus highlighted the need for updated zones, noting that no new zones had been designated since 2007. They pointed out that cables have been deployed in locations such as Darwin, Port Hedland, and Maroochydore, with plans for additional landings in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Vocus also called for strengthened protection and monitoring of submarine cables, particularly against deliberate actions, emphasizing that Australia’s cyber security strategy should encompass the physical elements of the internet.
The submission highlighted that intentional and unintentional human activities, including cable cutting, tapping, and cyberattacks, pose security threats. Compromises in various parts of the submarine cable supply chain could lead to data interception, surveillance, and traffic disruption.
Moreover, Vocus suggested that Australia should prioritize supporting submarine data cables in the Pacific region to enhance national security. They pointed out that countries with only one cable are vulnerable to outages, citing the example of Tonga, which experienced a lengthy disruption when its sole submarine cable was damaged by a volcanic eruption in 2022.
Vocus proposed that Australia collaborate with other nations, such as Japan, the US, India, the UK, and the EU, to fund strategic submarine cable projects in the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, they suggested that Australia could leverage its strong sovereign data center security standards to offer data center services to Pacific island nations that lack their own infrastructure.
This initiative would require a framework with robust legal protections to ensure that only the respective nations have access to their data hosted in Australian data centers.
