Description
The underwater data cable industry, historically dominated by the United States (US) and its allies, has become a focal point in the intensifying technological rivalry between global powers, particularly the US and China. Amid this geopolitical contest, Singapore, a city-state in Southeast Asia, has emerged as a strategic network connectivity hub within the international telecommunications architecture. Hosting forty submarine cables, with plans to double this number by 2033, Singapore’s deliberate accumulation of communication infrastructure reflects its ambition to solidify its status as a critical node in global digital connectivity. This study interrogates the strategic implications of Singapore’s growing dominance in submarine cable infrastructure, asking how the management of these vital landing points enhances its geostrategic importance and what it gains in the process. Employing new materialism as theoretical lens, it explores the material agency of submarine cables as more-than-human actors that actively reshape global telecommunications security practices and policies. By positioning Singapore, as both a beneficiary and a driver of undersea infrastructure's geopolitical significance, the study reveals how digital infrastructure not only reflects but also produces power dynamics in contemporary international relations.
