Cable Awareness Campaigns: Value and Utility

Photo by Ibrahim Guetar on Unsplash

Cable Awareness Campaigns: Value and Utility

Submarine cable systems are essential for global connectivity, but their protection depends not only on regulatory frameworks or technological advances - it also relies heavily on relationships built at the local level. One of the most overlooked but critical tools in submarine cable governance is the cable awareness campaign, which aims to inform about the location and importance of specific submarine systems in a territory. 

These campaigns are not publicity stunts or symbolic gestures; they are operationally relevant efforts that, when done correctly, directly contribute to the protection and longevity of cable infrastructure. Cable owners make a structured effort to inform, engage and coordinate with local stakeholders - especially those whose daily activities may intersect with submarine cable infrastructure, such as fishing companies and unions, naval authorities and relevant representatives from telecom regulators or ministries. These initiatives aim to reduce risk, build mutual understanding and promote shared responsibility for the protection of submarine cables. 

They are usually carried out once a year for a few days in a particular country or region by one or more cable owners who decide to do it together. The idea is to go through the landing countries of the submarine system or to involve other cable owners who share the same landing countries. For example, a telecommunication company may develop a cable campaign for 4 submarine cables sharing the landing station and invite other competitors to join the effort if they have similar critical seabed telecom infrastructure nearby.

Typically, a facilitator with expertise in the industry would be hired by the cable owners to contact local stakeholders a few weeks in advance to coordinate a visit to their premises or offices. This would include a long list of authorities, usually 4-6 per day, and the campaign would end with a final report a few weeks later with feedback and some practical recommendations from the facilitator on how to improve the protection of the submarine cable in that particular country, both at sea and in the landing areas.

It is important to note that despite the strategic value of awareness campaigns, not all cable owners conduct them. This lack of uniformity means that in many regions critical submarine cable systems operate without consistent local engagement - increasing the risk of incidents that could have been prevented through proactive communication. However, such a failure, for whatever reason (e.g. financial, strategic), is never an excuse for a fisherman to damage a submarine cable.

Choosing the Right Facilitator

One of the most important steps in designing and implementing an awareness campaign is selecting the right facilitator. This is not about choosing the most charismatic speaker or the most visually appealing materials - it is about working with individuals or teams who understand local realities, can communicate effectively with fishermen and maritime authorities and are willing to spend more time listening than speaking.

A provider who focuses solely on distributing brochures, flyers with maps of submarine cables or giving slick presentations may miss the point entirely. The best awareness-raisers are those who can build trust, speak the local language (sometimes literally) and understand the informal networks that shape day-to-day decision-making in local governments. 

They treat these sessions not as one-off events but as part of a long-term strategy for building relationships, enabling them to send follow-up emails or even make phone calls that will be answered.  In some cases, they may also be invited by local authorities to explain technical specifications in regional cable systems as part of a formal consultation process or workshops, or be asked by cable owners' legal advisers to act as expert witnesses in cable damage cases in local courts.

The profile of the facilitator is usually a staff member from cable maintenance companies, or even consultants who used to work for or with them. Ideally, they should have previous experience on board the cable maintenance vessels so that they can quickly answer technical questions about tendering and repairs. They also usually have good experience in other countries, so they can bring their niche knowledge of how to solve the same problems in other latitudes. This is probably the feature most appreciated by the local authorities, as they have the opportunity to consult on how to better shape their maritime spatial planning initiatives or even improve the regulatory framework.

Changing the Facilitator if It is Not Working

If the current campaign provider is not delivering results - if there is no improvement in stakeholder engagement, if cable incidents continue, or if local actors feel they are not understood or even listened to - then it is time to change. It makes no sense to stick with a failing strategy simply out of inertia. 

Is price an issue? Imagine continuing to pay high cable repair costs, typically in excess of USD1 million per event, rather than choosing a good facilitator for less than 1% of that for each country that could prevent the need for repairs. 

Cable owners and operators should treat awareness campaigns with the same seriousness as maintenance agreements or landing permit compliance. This means setting clear expectations, seeking feedback from local stakeholders and being willing to adjust the approach based on evidence. Sometimes a change in tone, language or even format can make a significant difference. In other cases, a complete change of facilitator is needed to restore credibility and momentum.

Not a Popularity Contest

Awareness campaigns are often confused with public relations exercises. But true cable awareness work is not about sympathy or popularity. It is a technical and political intervention designed to reduce risk, build common understanding and create mechanisms for cooperation that can endure in moments of tension or crisis.

The aim is not to win applause but to build practical knowledge and mutual respect. For example, the captain of a fishing trawler may not care about bandwidth capacity but he will pay attention if a cable cut could lead to legal liability. Framing the conversation in terms of shared risks and responsibilities is far more effective than vague references to global connectivity or the digital economy.

Cable owners usually also send a technical representative to answer questions about their own submarine network, and in some cases an in-house lawyer. The latter deployment serves two purposes. Firstly, for the lawyer to receive practical training about the maritime sector, which is often not covered in law schools, and secondly, for he or she to be prepared for future litigation in the event of cable damage in that jurisdiction. Indeed, the campaign's full list of interviewees is an invaluable resource for suspects or even allies.

Listening and Staying at the Table

Successful campaigns require more than one-way communication. They require cable owners and operators to be willing to stay at the table and listen. That means acknowledging complaints to cable owners at scheduled meetings with fishermen unions, even if they are misinformed or legally unfounded. It means answering tough questions about cable routes or repair delays. It means being there when tensions rise.

Some stakeholders may show disagreement or even anger during these meetings, but it is better for a cable owner to be there than to rely on the opinion of a facilitator, who is always a third party, even though he is a contractor of the cable owner. This is the key difference that stakeholders value most, as opposed to the non-appearance of those other telecom cable owners who remain aloof. And over time, the ones that turn up will earn respect.

Listening is a skill. It builds credibility and can often reveal simple solutions to recurring problems. For example, asking maritime authorities about the risks associated with low tide in a cable landing area can help to further assess whether deeper burial is needed or the location of the beach manhole needs to be changed. Or when getting information about a new power subsea cable project could help avoid or minimise the risk of a submarine cable crossing. But these solutions only emerge when there is active, honest, two-way dialogue.

Being Honest About Objectives

An awareness campaign is not about pretending there are no tensions or hiding behind technical jargon. It is about being honest regarding the purpose of the cable, the legal framework for its operation and the responsibilities of all parties involved. Communities value clarity. They are more likely to cooperate if they feel they are being respected, not managed. Generations of families may have fished in a cable landing zone and are likely to continue to do so after the cable is decommissioned.

Therefore, both the facilitator and the representatives of the cable owners present at these meetings should have at least a basic knowledge of fishing, power cables, dredging, port operations and the activities of the other stakeholders. From the outset, when attempting to provide information about their telecommunications infrastructure, they should at least demonstrate a willingness to show empathy by preparing themselves before such meetings. 

Certainly, cable owners should explain why some of those seabed activities are restricted in cable zones, how incidents are investigated and the actual risks facing their infrastructure.

They should also be clear about what they can and cannot offer in terms of coordination or cooperation. Setting realistic expectations from the beginning is essential, especially if the other parties feel that a cable owner is obliged to compensate them for its use of the seabed, a shared public resource rather than one reserved for a select few.

Long-Term Value

Ultimately, cable awareness campaigns are about more than minimizing the next incident - they are about creating a culture of coexistence and shared responsibility for critical infrastructure. When local stakeholders feel part of the process, they are more likely to voluntarily protect cables, report suspicious activity and warn others.

Well-executed awareness campaigns also have a legal dimension: they can demonstrate due diligence in the event of litigation or other conflicting seabed projects, showing that the cable owner took reasonable steps to prevent damage. This makes them useful not only for community relations but also as a strategic legal tool.

Done correctly - with the right people, clear messages and a genuine commitment to dialogue - they can reduce the number of incidents, build resilience and promote long-term sustainability. Not because they are persuasive or polished but because they work.

---

Andrés Fígoli is the author of the two-volume book “Legal and Regulatory Aspects of Telecommunication Submarine Cables” and is the director of Fígoli Consulting, where he provides legal and regulatory advice on all aspects of subsea cable work. Mr. Fígoli graduated in 2002 from the Law School of the University of the Republic (Uruguay), holds a Master of Laws (LLM) from Northwestern University, and has worked on submarine cable cases for more than 20 years in a major wholesale telecommunication company. He also served as Director and Member of the Executive Committee of the International Cable Protection Committee (2015-2023).

This article was first published in Submarine Telecoms Forum Magazine #147 – January 2026.