Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 June 2026
110. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if there are contingency plans in place to support the Irish economy and protection of data if one of the transatlantic cables are cut or damaged [46395/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe temporary loss of service on a subsea telecommunications cable would not have a noticeable impact on services into and out of Ireland, or on economic activities within the State. Large-volume users of these subsea cables generally diversify their bandwidth requirements across multiple cables. Ireland has 14 international cables landing here which allows for multiple redundant routes for internationally bound data moving in or out of the country. Any damage to a cable would be repaired under existing contracts between the cable owner and the cable repair bodies.
In the longer term, my Department supports additional commercial investment in new cables and is advocating at European and national level for a pro-investment approach to be taken to encourage the development of high-capacity telecommunications networks, including subsea cabling interconnectivity within the EU, including Ireland, and between the EU and third countries.
These cables will provide additional capacity to the market and will provide additional redundant routes. My Department is currently progressing an intervention strategy for the development of direct subsea connectivity between Ireland and the EU to improve the resilience of the cable system serving Ireland.
