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Insights & view points from industry professionals.
By Winston Qiu The digital race for the Indo-Pacific and East African trade corridors entered a new chapter following high-level diplomatic talks in Brussels. Kenyan President William Ruto and European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen finalized a massive €139 million (approx. KSh 20.8 billion) digital investment package — a pricey commitment that comes with a ‘strengthened partnership’ attached.
By Winston Qiu The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan has formally approved a draft framework to significantly strengthen the protection and resilience of the nation's international submarine cable infrastructure. The draft proposal, which was reviewed and endorsed at the sixth meeting of the “Study Group on the Protection of International Submarine Cables” (国際海底ケーブルの防護等に関する検討会) on June 10, 2026, marks a pivotal step in transitioning Japan's critical undersea communication assets from a largely private-sector-led domain to a nationally governed strategic infrastructure.
By Winston Qiu Researchers at Japan‘s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) have shattered the world record for optical transmission, achieving a staggering 450 terabits per second (Tbps) over a single, standard optical fiber — and the breakthrough was demonstrated on a real‑world, live metropolitan network in central London.
By Winston Qiu On June 4, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the draft of its Second Report and Order and Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) in the matter of Review of Submarine Cable Landing License Rules and Procedures to Assess Evolving National Security, Law Enforcement, Foreign Policy, and Trade Policy Risks. The FCC announced it will vote on these documents at an open meeting on June 25, 2026. This marks another major upgrade in submarine cable security regulation, following the first Report and Order and FNPRM in 2025.
By Winston Qiu On April 30, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 3‑0 unanimously to advance a sweeping Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would bar China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom from operating data centers and Points of Presence (PoPs) in the United States, and prohibit U.S. carriers from interconnecting with entities on the national security “Covered List” – including facilities such as data centers, gateways and internet exchange points owned by those entities. The proposal also seeks to extend restrictions to certain affiliates of listed firms and to carriers that use equipment from Huawei or ZTE.
By Winston Qiu Google and Telstra today announced a major partnership to enhance the reach, reliability, resilience, and security of Australia and the Asia-Pacific region’s digital infrastructure. Jointly announced by Bikash Koley, Vice President of Global Infrastructure at Google, and Steven Worrall, CEO of Telstra Digital Infrastructure, the partnership represents a significant step forward in securing Australia’s digital and AI future.
By Winston Qiu The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has issued Customs Administrative Order (CAO) No. 02-2026, granting temporary duty and tax relief for foreign-owned and foreign-registered International Cable-Laying and Repair Vessels (ICLRVs) operating in Philippine waters.
By Winston Qiu On the sidelines of the 23rd IISS Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore, 17 countries formally launched the “Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges” (GUIDE) – a non‑binding, voluntary framework designed to enhance defence cooperation on the security of critical underwater infrastructure (CUI).
By Winston Qiu This article examines the provisions of UNCLOS relating to subsea cable projects, with a particular focus on the legal regime within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and on the continental shelf, and analyzes the implementation dilemmas arising from conflicts between UNCLOS provisions and coastal States' domestic laws and regulations.
By Winston Qiu This World Telecommunication Day, the message is clear: building more cables is not enough — we must also build the resilience, redundancy, international cooperation and inclusive mind to protect them.
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