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Undersea fibre-optic cables, not satellites, carry most intercontinental internet traffic
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The article explains that the internet's intercontinental data travels through a network of undersea fibre-optic cables, not satellites, and describes the physical construction and landing points of these cables.
For engineers, this clarifies that the internet's resilience and performance depend on physical infrastructure that is owned and maintained by specific entities. Understanding cable landing points and the power and amplification requirements helps in assessing network latency and vulnerability. The article also highlights that the internet is not ambient but a tangible system with real-world constraints.
Written by elseif from the cluster below · every claim links back to a sourceThe three things worth knowing
Intercontinental internet data travels through roughly 1.5 million kilometres of undersea fibre-optic cable, not via satellites.
Submarine cables are heavily armoured and buried near shore to protect against anchors and trawlers, with repeaters every 50-80 km to boost the signal.
Cable landing points are chosen for gentle seabed slopes and low marine traffic, often shared by multiple cable systems.
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