The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) have formed the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience to strengthen the resilience of this vital telecommunication infrastructure.

Per multiple media reports, the Advisory Body will address ways to improve cable resilience by promoting best practices for governments and industry players to ensure the timely deployment and repair of submarine cables, reduce the risks of damage, and enhance the continuity of communications over the cables.

“This body will identify key issues to ensure that submarine cables are built, deployed and maintained with a greater resiliency,” Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) told reporters ahead of the first meeting of the new group. “It’s definitely not just a technical issue, but an issue that can affect our economies and our societies. And however we see that this critical infrastructure is vulnerable to disruptions,” he said.

A follow-up summit is planned in Nigeria in February.