TeleGeography makes call for new submarine cable repair ship investments

A new TeleGeography report reveals that $3 billion worth of investment in submarine cable repair ships will be required to sustain current service levels and reduce repair delays for the undersea cables that carry global internet traffic. While there’s a surge in submarine cable infrastructure investment, maintenance and repair capabilities have lagged. 

In “The Future of Submarine Cable Maintenance,” a joint report by TeleGeography and Infra-Analytics, the research firms forecast a 48% net increase in total cable kilometers to be deployed in the world's oceans by 2040, driven by rising bandwidth demands and the need for network redundancy and resilience. However, by the same year, approximately two-thirds of cable maintenance ships will have reached the end of their service life, with about half of the global cable ship fleet also approaching this milestone.

During this episode of the Broadband Pulse, we caught up with Alan Mauldin, Research Director at TeleGeography, one of the of the authors of the new submarine cable report. Mauldin said the the “study illuminates the increasingly urgent need for investment in the global connectivity critical infrastructure—both submarine cables and maintenance vessels.” 

Meet our guest Alan Mauldin is a Research Director at TeleGeography. He manages the company’s infrastructure research group, focusing primarily on submarine cables, terrestrial networks, international Internet infrastructure, and bandwidth demand modeling. He also advises clients on due diligence analysis, feasibility studies, and business plan development for projects worldwide. Alan speaks frequently about the global network industry at a wide range of conferences, including PTC, Submarine Networks World, and SubOptic. Alan began his career as an analyst at The Trade Partnership in 1998.

Key Moments in This Episode Opening 0:05 Introduction

0:24 State of the submarine cable market How hyperscalers and traditional providers are investing in new cables

2:19 New submarine cable repair ships A new TeleGeography report estimates $3B in submarine cable repair ships will be required. 3:56 Advocacy for new repair ships While there’s a desire to invest in repair ships, capital expenditure (Capex) costs are challenging. 5:44 Cost issues The expense of building new vessels.

7:13 Cable decommissioning Cables deployed during the telecom boom of the 1990s and early 2000s are now at or beyond the 25-year mark.  9:09 Regional market needs By 2035, replacement vessels will be required across most regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Middle East

10:50 Final Thoughts 

About the Podcast  In the Lightwave Broadband Pulse podcast, we address the key issues affecting the optical and broadband industry segments. Join us every week for insights from industry leaders on these topics. Visit our website at www.lightwave.com and click on our podcast site at www.broadbandpulse.podbean.com.