Legal Dimensions of the Submarine Cable; from Conflict of Interests to Sovereign Rights

Submarine communication cables are located under the legal system of the UNCLOS. The coastal state or other states have special rights and interests in connection with submarine communication cables in different maritime areas. In this regard, it is important to examine the legal aspects of the theory of the confrontation between the application of the sovereign rights of the coastal state and the rights of the state seeking the submarine communication cable, which is one of the aims and topics of this article. The research method is descriptive-analytical and relies on the requirements of the Convention on the Law of the Sea to answer the question, what are the legal aspects of coastal state intervention in the submarine communication cable of other states in different maritime areas? The research findings show that submarine communication cable of all states in the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf is the concept of freedom of the seas and free from the permission of the Coastal State. The Coastal State has economic interests in these areas, but is not allowed to prevent submarine communication cable from other states. This situation is a manifestation of the rule of law of the Coastal State.