Subsea telecoms cables carry the data that underpins the economy, with £1.4 trillion in daily UK transactions reliant on the subsea cable industry. They enable everyday communications like calls, instant messaging, and social media as well as critical services vital for supply chains, emergency services, the military, and key British industries such as finance. The UK already has a highly resilient system, underpinned by around 64 cables. When cables break, a repair vessel is at the scene within eight days, a world-leading response time. Faults are rare, and the overwhelming majority are not malicious, with up to 97% arising from fishing activity or vessels dragging anchors, and most aren’t noticed by the public. Suspicious activity near subsea cables is, however, being increasingly observed. In April, the British Armed Forces exposed a covert Russian submarine operation carrying out nefarious activity over critical undersea infrastructure in and around UK waters.…