Subsea cables to Antarctica: Technological challenges and geopolitical implications of connecting the material internet’s last frontier

• Ambitious plans for Antarctic subsea cables to transform research connectivity • The Antarctic Treaty consultation mechanisms can effectively manage cable projects • Without redundancy, cables may deepen dependence and become single points of failure • Dual-use sensors blur civil-military lines under Antarctic Treaty System peace norm • Antarctic cable projects may include more states or risk being seen as exclusive Antarctica remains the last continent unconnected to the global fiber-optic network, relying instead on costly and limited satellite communications. This work examines the implications of subsea cable projects aiming to connect Antarctica. While such projects promise to transform scientific research through high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity, they also raise profound geopolitical, legal, and security questions. Drawing on scholarship on infrastructural politics and polar governance, we analyze planned projects through the lenses of authority, sovereignty, and security. The analysis revealed that, although existing frameworks under the Antarctic Treaty System allow for unilateral infrastructure development with limited oversight, the installation of data cables introduces new challenges. These include questions of ownership and regulatory control, the dual-use nature of cables equipped with new sensor capabilities, and the geopolitical implications of cable routes connected to military or intelligence-sharing allies. The paper argues that these projects could shift the balance of Antarctic cooperation, depending on how transparently they are managed and how inclusively bandwidth and sensor data access are offered. While fiber-optic connectivity promises major gains for climate monitoring and scientific collaboration, it also risks deepening strategic mistrust and may undermine the continent’s legal and political functional balance if left uncoordinated.