Submarine cables laid on the bottom of the ocean, connecting continents and nations worldwide, have specific and extraordinary legal nature. The current legal regime of submarine cables mostly formed by the law of the sea and domestic law of states depends on several key characteristics influencing the formation and development of such regime. First, submarine cables represent the plurality of interests of numerous stakeholders: public, private and those of a mixed nature. They combine a

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... of legal relations concerning submarine cables taking place in different maritime zones in accordance with the law of the sea. Second, they form critical infrastructure being the backbone for modern Internet and telecommunications. Currently most of all international data traffic goes through submarine fibre optic cables. Third, submarine cables can be considered as an object of a global public interest serving needs of the whole international community. By providing the analysis of key distinguishing characteristics of submarine cables this article hopes to bring better clarity on the nature of submarine cables as an object of legal regulation under international law and attract legal scholars' attention to this important but sometimes underestimated topic of international law.