Communication network resilience is a strategic imperative
In an increasingly digital society, connectivity is not just a convenience, it is critical. From emergency services to energy grids, modern life depends on uninterrupted communications. However, as recent blackouts, cyberattacks and natural disasters reveal, these systems are vulnerable. And when communication networks go down, the ripple effects can be immediate and severe.
A new OECD report on enhancing the resilience of communication networks explores how communication networks are deeply intertwined with other sectors, from energy to transport to healthcare. This interdependence reinforces the need for robust strategies that anticipate and mitigate risks, ensuring continuity even in times of crisis.
These threats and crises are real and rising. In the European Union, system failures accounted for 93.5% of user-hour losses in 2022. Natural disasters triggered a record 168 million network incidents, nearly triple the number in 2019. Meanwhile, undersea cables, which carry more than 99% of global internet traffic, face around 150 disruptions annually.
These numbers point to an uncomfortable truth: communication network resilience is not just about avoiding downtime. It is about safeguarding economic activity, public trust, and even national security.
Communication network resilience presents a multifaceted challenge for policymaking
The resilience of communication networks cannot be reduced to a single solution or technology. It is a multifaceted challenge that spans engineering, policy, and operations.
Network resilience rests on multiple pillars, including the physical redundancy of key network components, secure and diverse routing, and robust energy backup systems. Operators and emergency stakeholders also invest in incident response protocols and restoration capabilities to limit service downtime during and after major incidents.
However, knowing whether a network is resilient and how resilient it is requires reliable metrics, and assessing resilience can be complex. While various international bodies have proposed measuring frameworks, applying them consistently remains difficult. Measuring resilience is, therefore, not just a technical challenge but a governance one, involving choices about what to measure, how often, and using which tools. Without a shared understanding of resilience benchmarks, it becomes harder to improve or coordinate policies across borders.
Trends in communication network resilience across OECD countries
Recognising these challenges, OECD countries are adopting diverse policy responses. These include mandatory redundancy requirements, incident reporting obligations, incentives for infrastructure sharing, and frameworks for cross-sectoral co-operation. Some countries have implemented comprehensive national resilience strategies that integrate telecom resilience with cybersecurity and civil protection planning. Others are fostering public-private partnerships to simulate crisis scenarios and test emergency responses.
Our report maps these initiatives to offer guidance to policymakers seeking to develop or refine their national approaches. It also highlights the importance of learning from international experiences, especially as many threats to network resilience are transboundary in nature.
Join us for a discussion on communication network resilience
The blackout in Spain is not an isolated event. It is both a warning sign and an opportunity. As countries are modernising their infrastructure, resilience must be designed in from the start and the OECD is helping countries face this challenge.
The report was officially presented at a hybrid event in Valencia (Spain) on 19 May that provided a local-to-global perspective on how policymakers and operators can co-operate to protect communication networks as critical infrastructure.
