Mapping signal territory: Undersea cable disruptions, affective nationalism and turbulent ecologies

This paper introduces the concept of ‘signal territory’ to explore how telecommunication infrastructures, particularly undersea cables, are reshaping the geopolitics of sovereignty, affect and digital connectivity. Focusing on Taiwan's Matsu Islands, a geopolitically sensitive frontier near China, the study examines how signal disruptions caused by cable damage produce affective responses and reconfigure notions of national security and belonging. Drawing on interviews, media analysis and official documents, the paper traces how affective nationalism and anticipatory governance converge in state-led efforts to re-territorialise invisible signal transmissions across land, sea, air and outer space. These efforts include satellite back-ups, microwave systems and legal proposals to protect undersea infrastructure. However, they are continually challenged by turbulent ecologies – ranging from oceanic forces and geomorphology to the geopolitical complexities of submarine cable governance. The paper situates these dynamics within broader literatures on volumetric politics, infrastructure studies and digital sovereignty, arguing that the territorialisation of signals marks a shift in how sovereignty is exercised in the digital age. By conceptualising signal territory as a socio-technical and affective assemblage, this study offers a new framework for understanding how states confront infrastructural vulnerabilities in contested geopolitical environments.