Speaker
Description
In an era of geopolitical tension, climate disruption, and rapidly increasing bandwidth demands, network resilience is no longer optional—it's critical infrastructure. This session examines how Europe is digitally connected to the world: the submarine cables and terrestrial routes that form its backbone, the hidden vulnerabilities exposed by recent incidents, and the strategic steps needed to secure global connectivity for the future. From the Red Sea cable disruptions to new risks driven by climate change and supply chain constraints, we’ll explore what’s going wrong—and what can be done better. Attendees will gain practical insights and leave with a renewed focus on smarter, more collaborative infrastructure planning.
Session Topics:
How Europe connects to the world
- Key submarine cable systems and terrestrial routes
- Interdependencies and single points of failure
Lessons from recent disruptions (2024–2025)
- Red Sea cable cuts and their underestimated impact on Europe-Asia traffic
- Baltic Sea cable cuts and lessons learned
- Other real-world failures
Emerging risk factors shaping network resilience
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Climate change and extreme weather events
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Geopolitical instability and regulatory fragmentation
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Post-pandemic supply chain pressures and
infrastructure constraints
What operators can do to improve resilience
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Rethinking route planning: move beyond redundancy to true diversification
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Key questions to assess supplier resilience and route transparency
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Exploring terrestrial alternatives and investing in underdeveloped regions
