How The Internet Travels Across Oceans
Tech Vision・6 minutes read
Undersea internet cables span global distances at high speeds and high costs, with ownership shifting from nations to tech giants for network expansion and investment opportunities.
Insights
- Undersea internet cables are a crucial global infrastructure, with hundreds of cables varying in length and cost, capable of transmitting data at incredibly high speeds using advanced technology like dense wavelength division multiplexing.
- The ownership landscape of undersea cables is shifting, with traditional players like nations and telecom providers now facing competition from tech giants such as Facebook and Google, who are heavily investing in expanding the network to capitalize on growth opportunities.
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Recent questions
How fast do undersea cables transmit data?
100 gigabytes per second, reaching 400 gigabytes per second.
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Summary
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Global Subsea Internet Cable Network Expansion
- 493 active or under construction sub-sea internet cables globally, ranging from a 300km wire to a 6600km cable, costing between $300-400 million each.
- Undersea cables transmit data at 100 gigabytes per second, with newer ones reaching 400 gigabytes per second using dense wavelength division multiplexing.
- Cables have repeaters every 70-100km to amplify signals, powered by copper conductors carrying up to 10,000 volts of DC.
- Cables are laid by specialized ships, coiled into drums, and spooled out at 10km/h, with accidents like weather disruptions or human interference being common.
- Ownership of undersea cables is historically by nations or telecom providers, but tech giants like Facebook and Google are investing heavily in expanding the network for growth opportunities.
