Internet under the Sea

15/08/2023

Internet under the Sea

By Rogério Mariano, Global Head, Edge Network Planning

More than 550 undersea Internet cables connect continents with their countries, continents with islands, islands with each other, or various points along a coastline. These submarine cables are Internet interconnection sites that have coastlines but do not share land borders, for example between two countries such as Brazil and Portugal, where a direct cable links both countries.

A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to carry telecommunications signals across stretches of ocean and sea.

The world’s existing submarine cables are critical telecommunications infrastructure and carry approximately more than $15 trillion in daily transactions. Thus, when a submarine cable arrives in a country, it is usually followed by multiple companies with multinational operations. In subsequent years, the country’s GDP usually increases by 2% or 3%.

Cables originate in every continent, with Singapore, Egypt, Marseille, Tokyo, Fortaleza, Oman, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Mumbai being the main hubs worldwide.

Submarine cables currently carry around 98% of the world’s intercontinental data traffic.

In the region. The most important submarine cables in Latin America are Curie (Google), Firmina (Google), Giganet-1 (consortium), PAN-AM (Lumen), AMX-1 (Claro), Monet (consortium), Seabras-1 (Seaborn), Tannat (consortium), Junior (Google), SAM-1 (Telxius), Brusa (Telxius), SACS (Angola Cables), Sail (consortium), Malbec (consortium), and EllanLink (EllaLink).

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The size and length of these cables depend on whether they are regional or intercontinental. An example of a regional cable is JUNIOR, a Google-owned 390-km subsea cable connecting Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo in Brazil, while an example of an intercontinental cable is 2Afric, a cable stretching 37,000 kilometers. Major cables in the region include Tannat, a 2,000-km cable co-owned by Antel and Google connecting Maldonado (Uruguay) with Praia Grande (São Paulo).

Additional reading:

Complex installation. Submarine cables are technically complex. They are comprised of multiple high-tech components that require engineering expertise for their design, testing, operation, and maintenance. They also involve a great deal of administrative complexity, including multinational restrictions, long-term supplier relationships, and geopolitical considerations. A successful project requires specific skills in various areas, such as maritime operations, legal, optical engineering, finance, licensing, planning, negotiations, and others. The time scale is also significant.

Typically, six to 24 months go by from conception to contract. Construction ranges from 12 to 24 months and a cable can remain in operation for 25 years (technically) and 17 years (commercially).

The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LACNIC.

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