SVT has followed the company that owns most of the sea cables in the Baltic Sea to a secret place in the archipelago, where a sea cable comes ashore.
– All data traffic, everything we do online ends up in these cables, so they are incredibly important for society to work.
Pär Jansson is responsible for international fiber expansion at Global Connect, the company that owns most of the sea cables that runs through the Baltic Sea. When it comes to securing data traffic, expansion is an important part.
– The more roads that traffic can take, the less the impact has any disruptions to individual cables, he explains.
Tests with new technology
Damaged sea cables have been in the center lately and there are suspicions about sabotage. There are now plans to further improve protection.
Global Connect has just started testing with a new technology. A special beam of light is sent through the cables and it actually allows the cables to intercept their surroundings themselves. The hope is that the cable will be able to discover an approaching danger and send an alarm about 30 minutes before the cable is reached.
Above all, it is fishing vessels that threaten the cables by trawling in the wrong places.
– Then it is possible to contact the ship and ask it to pull up the trawl, says Pär Jansson.
Investigate sabotage
The question of whether it can be about sabotage or not can also be easier to investigate, according to Pär Jansson.
The shape of hulls and propeller means that each ship has a unique signature of sound. It makes it possible to recognize vessels, even if it has struck its position more.
– This means that you can identify exactly which boats moved in an area, and get a pretty good picture of the course of events.
All information and all images published are approved from a security point of view.