Submarine hybrid power-telecom cables (SHPTCs) are revolutionizing how the subsea industry connects the world, catalyzing an innovative leap in underwater infrastructure by combining high-power transmission and telecommunications within a single system.
These cables combine insulated copper or aluminum conductors (for power delivery) with optical fibers (for telecommunications), all encased in protective layers to withstand harsh marine environments. SHPTCs are crucial for powering and connecting offshore wind farms, remote islands, and subsea data centers, reducing installation costs, minimizing seabed disruption, and offering scalable, future-ready infrastructure.
This submerged innovation is advancing how industries and communities connect and share resources, laying the groundwork for the creation of futuristic technological marvels.
By 2035, the global market sales of submarine cables are estimated to reach USD 56,964.70 million, compared to their value in 2025, amounting to USD 30,980.6 million, according to Future Market Insights. Thus, it’s evident that, as the world becomes increasingly interconnected, SHPTCs are forming the foundation of modern underwater infrastructure, addressing the growing demand for data and energy while driving economic growth.
Read: Connecting Continents: Enhancing Global Communications with Underwater Infrastructure
Revolutionizing Global Communication
The advent of SHPTCs represents a new subsea infrastructure era, leveraging cutting-edge fiber optic technology to deliver ultra-fast and reliable data transmission across vast distances. SHPTCs support a wide array of services, including internet and cloud services, scientific research, and national security.
As of February 2025, there are 570 in-service submarine cable systems worldwide, with another 81 planned, according to TeleGeography. This growing number of subsea infrastructures indicates the global demand for more robust digital connectivity. To cater to this demand, the South East Asia–Middle East–Western Europe 6 (SEA-ME-WE 6) submarine cable, expected to become operational by 2025, will offer a capacity of up to 180 Tbps.
Beyond digital connectivity, SHPTCs are critical in supporting the global energy transition. These cables efficiently transmit renewable energy, such as offshore wind and solar power, over vast distances, ultimately reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Given that the global submarine cable system market is predicted to reach USD 29.7 billion by 2029, companies like Hanwha Solutions have developed cable insulation technologies that are capable of transmitting energy from offshore energy farms to data centers more efficiently. The company has also developed Compound LDPE Natural Submarine (CLNS), a specialized insulator used by cable manufacturers for submarine cable projects across the United States and Europe.
Since global data demand is projected to grow at an annual rate of 31%, SHPTCs have been strategically designed to adapt, supporting the addition of fiber pairs or upgrades to power transmission capabilities, which ensure long-term viability and scalability.
SHPTCs also enhance critical application resiliency, including national security.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) noted that submarine cable disruptions can potentially affect government and industry operations, including education, healthcare, and financial services. To combat this, SHPTCs can be implemented to reliably withstand harsh underwater conditions, such as high pressure and corrosive environments.
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Supporting Renewable Energy and Sustainability
The rapid growth of global interconnectivity is driving a parallel surge in energy demand, making the integration of renewable energy sources into power transmission networks paramount.
For example, the North Sea Link between Norway and the United Kingdom facilitates the transmission of 1,400 MW of renewable energy through 720 kilometers of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, powering electricity to approximately 1.4 million homes in the UK. Dubbed the world’s longest subsea interconnector, these cables play a vital role in advancing carbon-neutral goals. The North Sea Link alone can potentially reduce fossil-fuel power generation and is projected to help avoid around 23 million tons of carbon emissions by 2030. Subsea cable manufacturer, Tratos, is also at the forefront of subsea fiber cable technology, with initiatives aligning with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The escalating demand for energy and connectivity solutions must propel telecom operators to consider more sustainable solutions, including manufacturing subsea cables with a lower environmental impact and responsibly planning the decommissioning of subsea infrastructure. During the 18th edition of the Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, Anup Gupta, President SAARC Region, APTelecom, echoed this sentiment, explaining that, “It’s not how many submarine cables are established, but how solutions are provided.”
SHPTCs not only support climate initiatives but also drive economic growth by incorporating renewable energy sources into global markets. By providing additional transmission capacity, they efficiently share energy sources across participating countries.
Read More: Mobily Announces Major Investment in Data Centers and Submarine Cables
Enhancing Resiliency Amid Challenges
The capabilities of SHPTCs transcend beyond providing mere connectivity, serving as lifelines and strategic assets that enhance global resilience in the face of natural disasters and emergencies. By integrating power supply and telecommunications within a single infrastructure, SHPTCs ensure critical services remain operational even when traditional communication lines fail. One unique feature of SHPTCs is their dual functionality, where both connectivity and energy flow can be maintained. This is relevant in light of global events, such as geopolitical wars, where significant disruptions can occur.
The resilience of SHPTCs is further enhanced by advancements in monitoring systems, with real-time assessments utilizing sensors and underwater drones to detect, assess, and respond to potential threats before they escalate into service disruptions. This approach helps telecom operators minimize downtime and ensure service continuity. For instance, the MARTOC project is developing Comet-3000, a subsea drone to be used for cable monitoring and control. Equipped with a set of sophisticated complementary sensors, the Comet-3000 can detect problems at depths of 3,000 meters. By detecting potential threats, this advancement can ensure service continuity, particularly in disaster-prone regions where extreme temperatures and seismic activities pose risks.
The growing reliance on high-speed internet and uninterrupted power underscores the need for telecom operators, stakeholders, and government bodies to prioritize the resiliency of submarine cable networks. In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review during Capacity Middle East 2024, Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, aptly emphasized that, “security-by-design and reliability in network architecture” are required to “enhance resilience and provide greater reliability” in subsea networks.
Although, despite efforts to make submarine cables more resilient, some deployments have been put on hold due to unprecedented events. For example, the war in Ukraine has halted the ‘3 Seas Digital Highway’ (3SDH) initiative, which aims to secure the North-South axis, consequently bridging communication infrastructure gaps encompassing fiber optics and 5G technology.
On a positive note, New York’s Cornell University is spearheading an interdisciplinary research project known as the Hybrid Space/Submarine Architecture Ensuring Infosec of Telecommunications (HEIST) to advance submarine cable security, delivering future-proof communications.
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A Hybrid Future
As global data demands surge, SHPTCs demonstrate an innovative solution for sustainable development and enhanced connectivity, bridging continents while supporting renewable energy goals.
As Sohail Qadir, CEO, Zain Omantel International (ZOI), highlighted in an exclusive with Telecom Review, “Due to the submarine cable systems that have created our huge ecosystem, there is an attraction. New submarine cable systems will have open access to other cable systems.”
Embracing subsea cables’ significant potential to address global challenges and advance global industries and economies will foster a future built on resilience and sustainability. The transformative impact of SHPTCs represents environmental stewardship while driving innovation. As these cables continue to evolve, they will play a critical role in shaping the interconnected future of the world.
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