Cable Of The Future, Threat Of The Present: ADC Submarine Cable Launch Spurs Regional Optimism Amid Global Security Woes

In a grand ceremony held at the Everbright Centre in Hong Kong, leaders from Asia’s telecommunications powerhouses convened to celebrate a feat nearly a decade in the making: the successful commissioning of the Asia Direct Cable (ADC), a 9,988-kilometer high-capacity submarine communications project linking mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, and several Asia-Pacific countries.

Jointly constructed by China Telecom, China Unicom, Singapore Telecom, Japan's SoftBank, TATA Communications, Vietnam's Viettel, Thailand’s NT, and the Philippines' very own PLDT, the ADC Submarine Cable is the region’s first major international submarine cable initiative in nine years. | Photo: China Telecom

Jointly constructed by China Telecom, China Unicom, Singapore Telecom, Japan's SoftBank, TATA Communications, Vietnam's Viettel, Thailand’s NT, and the Philippines' very own PLDT, the ADC Submarine Cable is the region’s first major international submarine cable initiative in nine years—and one that promises to redefine the contours of Asia-Pacific's digital economy.

With over 160 Tb/s of system capacity and more than 20 Tb/s per fiber pair, the ADC sets a new benchmark for data transmission, integrating open cable architecture and the latest in optical transmission technologies.

It offers not only blistering speeds but diverse routing options to reinforce the region’s digital infrastructure with resilience and redundancy—a necessity in today’s era of cyber and hybrid threats.

“The ADC project isn't just about faster speeds—it’s about future-proofing Asia’s digital economy,” said Mr. Yin Jin, CEO of China Telecom Global. “This cable will support exponential data demand growth driven by AI, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things.”

Indeed, the strategic impact of this cable cannot be overstated. It enhances international telecommunications cooperation, accelerates cloud-network integration, and underpins digital transformation across nations.

As digital ecosystems expand, cables like the ADC become lifelines for everything from banking transactions and e-commerce to telemedicine and remote learning. Yet, the celebration of connectivity is shadowed by a sobering global context: submarine cables are increasingly becoming geopolitical flashpoints.

The Underwater Cold War

Earlier this year, Newsweek published an exposé highlighting a disturbing trend—undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, off Norway, and around Taiwan were mysteriously damaged. Investigations revealed that Chinese and Russian vessels had been in the vicinity before these incidents, triggering suspicions of intentional sabotage.

Newsweek's report further unearthed Chinese-language patents for specialized cable-cutting devices, some of which were designed to sever underwater cables quickly and cheaply.

One such patent, filed by engineers from Lishui University, described a “dragging-type submarine cable cutting device” optimized for fast and low-cost cable disruption.

While the existence of patents alone is not proof of use, experts warn that these innovations signal a disturbing strategic interest. As one Norwegian subsea infrastructure analyst told Newsweek, "The randomness of these methods means even legal, vital cables could be collateral damage."

Even more alarming: Chinese ships such as the Xing Shun 39, Newnew Polar Bear, and Yi Peng 3 were tracked near cut cable sites in multiple parts of the world, including Taiwan's northern coast and the Matsu islands.

These incidents suggest a growing hybrid warfare trend—where commercial assets are used to execute military-like sabotage in gray zones of conflict.

In the same report, Benjamin L. Schmitt, Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, warned: “Beijing is keeping multiple technical options in its arsenal for manifesting seabed warfare threats toward subsea energy and telecom infrastructure.”

In response, analysts are calling for greater international cooperation on monitoring subsea assets, stronger cyber-physical defense frameworks, and cross-border consultative mechanisms for incident response and deterrence.

What’s at Stake for the Philippines?

As a member of the ADC consortium through PLDT, the Philippines stands to gain tremendously from improved data connectivity—especially in terms of GDP growth, job creation, and digital inclusivity.

According to estimates from a 2021 Meta sponsored industry report, investments in submarine cable infrastructure are projected to boost Philippine GDP by $34 billion between 2021 and 2025, supporting up to 380,000 jobs in the digital economy.

But therein lies the vulnerability: what happens if a cable is cut?

The International Cable Protection Committee estimates losses of over $1.5 million per hour for disruptions to critical submarine infrastructure. For a country like the Philippines, heavily reliant on BPOs, financial services, and e-commerce, even short-term downtime can cascade into massive economic losses, delays in trade and banking, and a chilling effect on investor confidence.

Beyond the direct costs, submarine cable disruptions would hinder government services, defense communications, and remote employment—making the nation both economically and socially fragile in the face of targeted attacks.

A Call for Vigilance and Cooperation

For now, the ADC Submarine Cable marks a high point in Asia-Pacific collaboration—a symbol of optimism and a powerful tool for economic resilience. Yet, as threats to subsea infrastructure grow more sophisticated, so too must our collective response.

Philippine telecom operators and policymakers must advocate for region-wide cable protection protocols, invest in satellite-based subsea surveillance, and ensure that redundancy and diversity are baked into every new infrastructure blueprint.

At a time when data is the new oil, and cables are the pipelines, the world cannot afford to let its lifelines go unguarded.

As Ms. Liu Ying of China Telecom aptly noted at the Hong Kong launch, “To build a mutually beneficial digital landscape, we must advance together—not only in speed, but in trust.”

In a connected world, every meter of fiber beneath the sea is both a promise and a potential point of failure. The future of the digital economy depends on protecting both.