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The Cables That Connect the World

Submarine fiber-optic cables carry most international internet traffic and lie on the seabed with repeaters powered by copper cores every 50 to 80 kilometres to sustain the signal. A handful of firms manufacture and lay these cables after route surveys and permitting, with transoceanic links costing hundreds of millions and a typical design life of 20–25 years, and repair is done by dedicated ships when faults occur. Ownership of the cables is distributed among many co-owners, including major telecoms and tech companies such as Google, Orange, BT, Sparkle, Vodafone, and Meta.

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