Can Cross-Border Electricity Interconnection Lower Operational Risks for Telecom Providers?

Telecom networks run on electricity every single hour of the day. Towers, data centers, exchanges, and undersea cable landing stations all need a steady power supply to keep calls connecting and data flowing. When power fails, even for a short time, telecom providers face dropped services, unhappy customers, and sometimes heavy financial losses. This is why many countries are now looking at shared power systems between neighboring nations as a way to build stronger, more dependable networks.

What Is Cross-Border Electricity Interconnection

Cross-border electricity interconnection refers to physical power links, usually high-voltage transmission lines or cables, that connect the electricity grids of two or more countries. Instead of each country depending only on its own power plants, these links allow nations to share electricity during shortages, emergencies, or sudden spikes in demand. For telecom companies, this matters a lot. If a local grid fails due to a technical fault, extreme weather, or fuel shortage, backup power can flow in from a neighboring country through these interconnections, keeping critical infrastructure like mobile towers and internet exchanges running.

Why Telecom Providers Care About Power Stability

Telecom operators cannot simply pause their services when electricity is unavailable. A single outage can disrupt emergency communication, banking transactions, and daily internet use for millions of people. Many operators already use diesel generators or battery backups, but these solutions are expensive and not always reliable during long outages. A well-connected regional grid reduces this dependency by offering a second, and sometimes a third, source of power. This kind of redundancy is one of the simplest ways to lower operational risk without spending heavily on standalone backup systems at every site.

The Hidden Role of Undersea Infrastructure

Interestingly, telecom and power industries are more connected underwater than most people realize. A submarine power cable is often laid along routes similar to those used for undersea internet cables, sometimes even sharing the same conduit or corridor. This overlap means that damage to marine infrastructure, whether caused by fishing activity, ship anchors, or natural events, can affect both power and telecom services at the same time. Because of this shared exposure, telecom companies have a direct interest in how power interconnection projects are planned, monitored, and protected at sea.

Real Case Studies Worth Knowing

Case Study 1

One useful example is the Basslink connection between Tasmania and mainland Australia. This link carries both electricity and a fiber optic telecom connection through the same undersea cable system. In December 2015, the cable suffered a major fault that cut off power supply to Tasmania for weeks and also disrupted the non-Telstra fiber link running alongside it. A later investigation found that overloading the power capacity of the cable had contributed to the damage. This incident showed telecom planners that bundling communication lines with power interconnectors can create shared risk, not just shared efficiency.

Case Study 2

A second, more recent example comes from the Baltic Sea. In late 2024, the Estlink 2 power interconnector between Finland and Estonia suffered a serious outage. Investigators looked closely at the incident because it happened around the same time as damage to nearby telecom and gas infrastructure in the region. Repairs to the 170 kilometer power link were expected to take several months, and grid operator Fingrid warned of a tense power supply situation for the coming winter. This case pushed European regulators to rethink how undersea power and communication assets are jointly protected, since both systems often sit close to shipping lanes and are vulnerable to the same physical threats.

How Interconnection Reduces Risk in Practice

When two or more national grids are linked, telecom providers benefit in several practical ways. First, there is less chance of a total blackout, since power can be rerouted from a connected country during a local failure. Second, interconnection often comes with better monitoring systems, since operators must track power flow across borders in real time, which also helps detect faults faster. Third, shared grids tend to attract more investment in modern infrastructure, including improved cable protection and repair capacity, which indirectly benefits nearby telecom cables as well.

However, this approach is not free of challenges. Cross-border projects require cooperation between governments, regulators, and private companies, which can slow down decision-making. Political tensions between neighboring countries can also affect how reliably power is shared during emergencies. Telecom providers relying on such systems need contingency plans that do not depend entirely on smooth international cooperation.

A Balanced Approach

Cross-border electricity interconnection is not a complete solution on its own, but it is a meaningful layer of protection. Telecom companies that combine interconnected grid access with local battery storage, generator backup, and strong undersea cable monitoring are in a much better position to handle disruptions. The goal is not to rely on one method alone but to build overlapping layers of safety.

Conclusion

Cross-border power sharing is steadily becoming part of how telecom providers think about resilience, not just how energy companies think about supply. As undersea and cross-border infrastructure projects grow, the industry is also paying closer attention to how a submarine cable event, whether involving power or data lines, can ripple across multiple sectors at once. For telecom operators, staying informed about regional power interconnection projects is no longer optional. It is becoming a practical part of managing operational risk in an increasingly connected world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Does cross-border electricity interconnection completely remove power outage risks for telecom companies? 

No, it reduces the chances of a total outage but does not eliminate risk entirely. Local backup systems are still necessary.

Q2. Are submarine power cables and telecom cables always laid together? 

Not always, but they often share similar routes near coastlines, which means both can be affected by the same underwater incidents.

Q3. Why did the Basslink cable failure affect telecom services too? 

Because the same undersea cable carried both electrical power and a fiber optic telecom link, damage to one system impacted the other.

Q4. How can telecom providers prepare for a submarine cable event? By using multiple cable routes where possible, maintaining backup power sources, and working with regional monitoring agencies for early fault detection.

Q5. Is cross-border power interconnection common worldwide? 

It is growing steadily, especially in Europe, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa, as countries look for more stable and shared energy solutions.

Article source: https://article-realm.com/article/Communications/84168-Can-Cross-Border-Electricity-Interconnection-Lower-Operational-Risks-for-Telecom-Providers.html