Europe’s Seabed Cables Get a Digital Upgrade

Smart cables from Sparkle and AP Sensing promise stronger, safer energy and data links for Europe.

25 Apr 2025

Europe’s undersea cables are getting a high-tech makeover. Across the continent, aging networks that carry power and internet traffic are being transformed with smart sensing technology, promising quicker fixes and fewer failures beneath the waves.

Leading the charge is an EU-backed project known as ECSTATIC. With €4 million in fresh funding, it brings together telecom heavyweight Sparkle and a group of tech partners. Their mission is to turn ordinary fiber-optic cables into smart lifelines by detecting vibrations, pressure shifts, and early signs of damage before disaster strikes.

It is not just telecoms making waves. On the energy front, German firm AP Sensing is upgrading key electricity links between countries. Their system uses pulses of light to monitor conditions inside power cables in real time. The goal is simple: prevent outages and keep the lights on across borders.

Experts say the change is long overdue. “Europe is raising the bar for smart infrastructure,” says Sofia Keller, an independent energy consultant in Amsterdam. “Operators now have eyes and ears on the seabed, making critical networks faster to fix and tougher to break.”

The overhaul follows a string of incidents in recent years where broken cables disrupted power supplies and slowed internet speeds. With these smart upgrades, officials expect major drops in failure rates, offering more stable connections for millions.

There are still hurdles to clear. Handling the flood of monitoring data and fending off cyber threats remain big challenges. But industry leaders are optimistic. Sparkle and AP Sensing believe smarter cables will be key to Europe’s digital ambitions and its shift to renewable offshore energy.

With demand for offshore power and high-speed data only growing, Europe’s undersea networks are not just keeping up. They are getting ahead.