Jonas Franken, research associate at the PEASEC research group of TU Darmstadt recently discussed the dual-use aspects of sensors on fibre-optic submarine cables in an interview with F.A.Z. which has also been quoted in a Golem article.
In the interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung of 27.09.2026, Jonas explained that SMART (Science Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications) sensors on cables do not yet play a major role in military and security policy, particularly because they cannot be retrofitted to existing cables. He also pointed out that both the potential benefits and the dual-use implications are more pronounced in the case of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). DAS, with manufacturers, including European suppliers, significantly extending the range of the technology in recent years, holds a great potential for various aspects of cable safety and security.
At the same time, Jonas cautioned that if fibre-optic cables equipped are with high-capacity sensors and increase their military role within their dual-use charateristic, they could potentially become legitimate military targets under international law in the event of an armed conflict.
Read the media coverage:
- F.A.Z. (04.10.2026): Surveillance technology: The spy who came from the seabed (German original article, paywall)
- Golem (05.10.2026): Seabed surveillance: Underwater cables to detect Russian sabotage (German original article)
Related research:
The interviews build on PEASEC’s ongoing work on subsea data cable security, including research conducted within the SecFOCI project and the ATHENE Think Tank “Security Risks for Submarine Cables.”
See also:
- Jonas Franken, Patrick Flamm, Christian Reuter (2026) Subsea cables to Antarctica: Technological challenges and geopolitical implications of connecting the material internet’s last frontier, Telematics and Informatics Reports; 22:100329. doi:10.1016/j.teler.2026.100329
- Jonas Franken, Martin Hagemeier, Timon Dörnfeld, Julian Löffler, Paula Meissner, Christian Reuter (2026) SubSeaCure: Grid-Based Risk Mapping of Europe’s Subsea Data Cable Network, Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security (SAFECOMP) .
- Jonas Franken, Thomas Reinhold, Timon Dörnfeld, Christian Reuter (2025) Hidden structures of a global infrastructure: Expansion factors of the subsea data cable network, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Volume 215, 124068, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124068.
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Jonas Franken, Christian Reuter (2024) The Subsea Data Cable Security Map – Fusing Public Information for Enhanced Critical Maritime Infrastructure Security (2024), MARESEC 2024, 10.5281/zenodo.14216269