Speaking at the ‘What does the new subsea ecosystem look like’ keynote panel at ITW 2025 in Washington D.C, Huda Al Ghabshi, head of department of data and connectivity at ZOI said: “If you need to connect Australia or Africa, and you’re stuck due to geopolitical issues.”
“Deployment depends on access, permissions and stable regions. That’s not a guarantee anymore,” she said.
This comes as the panel which also included Esther Garcés, CEO of Islalink, BW Digital’s chief business officer Virginie Frouin and Telxius CMO, Mónica Martínez Quero highlighted the growing demand for subsea connectivity is being met with limited ship availability and “infrastructure bottlenecks, driving up costs and delaying project timelines.”
“Sometimes you think something will take six months, but it takes much longer,” Martínez Quero said. “You need to be flexible and aligned.”
Meanwhile, the panel of industry experts also showcased how new business models are helping the industry adapt.
Al Ghabshi said: “Previously, the consortium model was really led by telcos. Today, it’s more agile. We see hyperscale’s building their own systems without even coming back to the consortium.”
Martínez Quero added: “I don’t really think we’re shifting away. The consortium model has always been there. Sometimes it’s a big number of partners, sometimes less, but it’s always been there.”
However, Frouin also identified geopolitical instability as a growing concern within the subsea industry. “The Red Sea and South China Sea are areas of concern,” she concluded. “We’re seeing governments stepping up to treat subsea cables as national infrastructure.”
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