How the Internet crosses oceans without you notice

Mechanisms that transcend the sea without the Internet

Submarine cable transmits about 99% of international data.

At the bottom of the sea, the most bizarre物atures on the earth are created. However, this is the place where TikTok, the most bizarre, is going to reach the opposite side of Alaska, Hawaii, or the Earth. Most of the world’s international online traffic is sent via a cable layed on the seabed.

In the beginning of this year, TAT-8 (Trans-Atlantic Telephone 8), the first optical fiber cable crossing the Atlantic, opened for the first time in 38 years. I slept on the seabed of the Atlantic without being used for almost half a century. It may be disappointed to think about how long these stay in the depth of our ocean and how we send our emails, video calls and memes to the world. Understand how these cables work and why they’re worth pulling up TAT-8.

About 99% of international internet traffic uses these submarine cables. More than 500 units worldwide By 並べ from the end to the end, you will be able to extend over 1 million miles and apply around the earth again and again.

The thickness of each tree is almost the same as the garden 。. Inside, there is a fiberglass with a thicker hair. Lasers send hundreds of millions of times per second of pulses of coded light through these fibers. (On the other hand, the signal booster along the cable a。ifies the laser while the laser is moving. ) Dozens of different laser colors can pass the same fiber at once and each transmits their own data stream. You can send a video call from New York to Tokyo, or send an email to Melbourne from Boston. Each cable can transfer hundreds of terabit data per second.

One-month journey to move the internet

These cables are a long trial. First, engineers need to plan efficient routes to avoid underwater obstacles. Then, when the cable is manufactured, the operator carries it on the ship and rolls it into a huge tank. This process may take about a month.

When the ship departs, it takes about 6 miles per hour. (This is almost equivalent to light jo。.) ) The crew stays on the sea for several months, slowly pull out the cable from these huge tanks and pull out the cable from the stern opening. If you encounter rough weather, the operator may have to disconnect the line, attach the end to the buoy, move to another location and wait. When the situation improves, they will recover and connect the cable and resume a slow trip across the sea.

Finally, when the cable reaches the other side of the continent, it will be connected to the data center and the recipient will receive an email or a meme. Only there is a possibility of flying in the air through a cell phone base station or local Wi-Fi network. Even though Starlink and similar services are growing, satellite Internet is a small percentage of Internet traffic. )

Replacement and Recycling

Cables are quite durable, but according to the United Nations, "Cable Accidents" occur around 150-200 times a year. Most areas have redundant lines that can be used to compensate for other cables even if one cable is down. However, in some remote locations, if a single cable fails, all internet access may be lost for a few weeks. In 2022, the island country Tonga in the South Pacific was the only cable that connects to the world due to volcanic eruptions, so the internet and telephone communications have ceased over a month.

These stops may be caused by natural disasters, but about 80% are caused by human activity (usually ship anchors and trolling fishing。). In recent years, there were several obstructions.

If the cable is damaged, it is not necessarily the hardest part to carry it. The Secretary-General Thomas Ramanauss of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) said, “In particular, if multiple jurisdictions and overlapping jurisdictions are related to the United Nations News, it is often more complicated to ensure all necessary permissions and licenses.”

Cables may be old. The average life span is about 25 years.

As I mentioned earlier, TAT-8 was just pulled up this year, but in fact, it has stopped operation since it had a problem that it would cost a foreign repair. Therefore, it was sleeping at the bottom of the Atlantic near the quarter century, not used. There was an environmental advantage in recycling, but there was a more intimate mo to recover it. It is to release a place for new cables and collect valuable copper.