Anatel opens collection of suggestions to regulate telecommunications infrastructures that transport data in Brazil and around the world
A (National Telecommunications Agency) begins this Tuesday (May 26, 2026) the process of collecting suggestions to discuss the regulation of submarine telecommunications cables in Brazil.
These structures installed at the bottom of the oceans are responsible for transporting more than 90% of data between countries and continents, according to agency estimates.
Subsidy taking, as the social participation process used by regulators is known, will last 45 days. During this period, Anatel will receive contributions from society, the productive sector, academia and public bodies on the topic. The objective is to gather information for a future regulatory model to be developed by the agency.
According to Anatel’s Regulatory Agenda 2025-2026, submarine cables support telecommunications services, cloud computing, financial services, government applications and global data circulation.
“The growth in digital demand, combined with the need to expand the physical and cyber security of networks, makes it increasingly necessary to discuss improving the regulatory framework applicable to these strategic assets”says Anatel.
The opening of the public consultation was an initiative of the counselor, president of Anatel’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Committee. The subject has been a Freire flag since 2020, when Anatel launched the .
The agency’s assessment is that the movement will allow the identification of points for improvement in topics such as network security and resilience, geographic diversification of landing points, institutional governance, incentives for the expansion of digital infrastructure, incident monitoring and international cooperation.
The idea is for the agency to expand regulatory measures aimed at submarine cable operators, which could also, in the long term, attract investment in the sector in Brazil.
According to Anatel, there is currently a high concentration of cable landing points in strategic regions of the Brazilian coast, such as Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro, Praia Grande and Santos.
The agency’s prior assessment is that this concentration could represent vulnerabilities for connectivity in the country, since there are risks related to accidental interruptions with ship anchors and fishing equipment and land damage at points of arrival on the coast.
