Transatlantic Internet cable arrives on beach in Cornwall

[anonymous-user]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-577...



This still fascinates me because I don’t fully understand how it all works tbh that ‘the internet’ arrives in a transatlantic cable owned by Google. And other tech companies own or part own other cables.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53553580

What happens to the data cable when it comes ashore, does it just end somewhere in an exchange or whatever and then lots of other cables come from there to local exchanges and the green boxes near to our houses?

Does the cable just sit on the sea bed over the undulating terrain like dodgy Christmas tree lights or does it get buried?

[bitchstewie]

I don't want to be the bloke who just says look on Wikipedia but

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communicat...

and

https://www.submarinecablemap.com/

Once you look up a specific cable or two by name and go via Google (Google Images in particular) it's a right old breadcrumb trail from anonymous looking beach shacks right through to dedicated facilities.

[Vanden Saab]

there is a museum in Cornwall dedicated to exactly this subject fascinating and informative in equal measure...

[anonymous-user]

bhstewie said:

I don't want to be the bloke who just says look on Wikipedia but

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_communicat...

and

https://www.submarinecablemap.com/

Once you look up a specific cable or two by name and go via Google (Google Images in particular) it's a right old breadcrumb trail from anonymous looking beach shacks right through to dedicated facilities.

Probably a good start!

wiki said:

From the 1850s until 1911, British submarine cable systems dominated the most important market, the North Atlantic Ocean.

Good to sea that Britannia not only ruled the waves but the under the waves cables too.

[anonymous-user]

Vanden Saab said:

there is a museum in Cornwall dedicated to exactly this subject fascinating and informative in equal measure...

I find it fascinating, also that all these things are lying under roads and fields Etc, I always try and take a look when ‘stuff’ infrastructure Etc gets dug up and see what it all is and what it looks like.

[barryrs]

I expect the first stop for the cable is GCHQ

[anonymous-user]

barryrs said:

I expect the first stop for the cable is GCHQ

That’s was my thoughts too.

[Byker28i]

We used to provide IT to a company that laid these. Big ship with reals of cables and joining, transferred to smaller ships/landing craft type things to land the cables, then terminated in small shacks. You'll be surprised to hear it's not all Cornwall.

Similar done to bring power in from offshore wind farms from the collection rig,

The Submarine cable map is interesting
https://www.submarinecablemap.com/

The cables used these days are incredibly small. For data centers a cable about as thick as your finger holds 284 fibres, then the under sea ones have all the sheathing..

Google are running lots at the moment
https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastruct...

St Helena and Ascension are hoping to piggyback off it
http://connectsthelena.org/news/Subsea-cable-to-be...
https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2021/news/fibre-opt...

Then you've Elon Musks Starlink, £85 a month that will provide internet to places not served by cables. He's launching lots of satellites
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-1...

[Byker28i]

El stovey said:

barryrs said:

I expect the first stop for the cable is GCHQ

That’s was my thoughts too.

No need. They have intercepts placed on most of the fibre-optic communications cables in and out of the country, which needs the 'co-operation' from the owners where the cables come in. Last time details were revealed which was around 8 years ago, it was just under 25petabytes of data a day collected, which they analysed about 25%. These days it will be much, much more...

[kerplunk]

El stovey said:

What happens to the data cable when it comes ashore, does it just end somewhere in an exchange or whatever and then lots of other cables come from there to local exchanges and the green boxes near to our houses?

That would make for some very long cable runs and a huge number of cables converging in one place! It would be more like green box > local exchange > city hub > regional hub > international hub.

[aparna]

Surprised to read there are 50 cable repairs required a year in the Atlantic alone, which require lifting up the cable.

Cheaper than better armour?

[Byker28i]

kerplunk said:

El stovey said:

What happens to the data cable when it comes ashore, does it just end somewhere in an exchange or whatever and then lots of other cables come from there to local exchanges and the green boxes near to our houses?

That would make for some very long cable runs and a huge number of cables converging in one place! It would be more like green box > local exchange > city hub > regional hub > international hub.

All the ISP's have locations in multiple datacenters around the UK, partially to minimise risk of loss, but also to help deliver the speeds required locally, all linked with multiple diverse connections. Last year a major link from London to the West country was dug up around Reading, but the alternative paths kept the links up. These will then be delivered to local providers/the local infrastructure and eventually to your house/business

[anonymous-user]

Byker28i said:

We used to provide IT to a company that laid these. Big ship with reals of cables and joining, transferred to smaller ships/landing craft type things to land the cables, then terminated in small shacks. You'll be surprised to hear it's not all Cornwall.

Similar done to bring power in from offshore wind farms from the collection rig,

The Submarine cable map is interesting
https://www.submarinecablemap.com/

The cables used these days are incredibly small. For data centers a cable about as thick as your finger holds 284 fibres, then the under sea ones have all the sheathing..

Google are running lots at the moment
https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastruct...

St Helena and Ascension are hoping to piggyback off it
http://connectsthelena.org/news/Subsea-cable-to-be...
https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/2021/news/fibre-opt...

Then you've Elon Musks Starlink, £85 a month that will provide internet to places not served by cables. He's launching lots of satellites
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-1...

Thanks, some interesting links.

Does this cable get laid out to sea around Africa with branching units as it’s cheaper than to bury it on land or is it more secure at sea from locals trying to interfere with it?

Obviously to link continents you have to use subsea cables but there are loads following the coast of countries with branching units going ashore.

[Byker28i]

El stovey said:

Thanks, some interesting links.

Does this cable get laid out to sea around Africa with branching units as it’s cheaper than to bury it on land or is it more secure at sea from locals trying to interfere with it?

Obviously to link continents you have to use subsea cables but there are loads following the coast of countries with branching units going ashore.

Yup all that mostly easier to lay with no issues about land ownership, easier to service etc. Undersea communication cables have been intercepted before, plus some cables have had shark attacks
https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarque...

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

I wonder how many covert charges, taps, etc. are placed on the west's and the east's subsea cables?

[LordLoveLength]

Have a look for a copy of “voice across the sea” by Arthur C Clarke.

Pretty amazing how difficult it was to get voice communications across a long cable - it was 1956 or so before technology was advanced enough to put voices that far. Prior to that transatlantic phone was done by radio!
Or you used the cheaper telegraph services.
The cables are so lossy that the signal needs to be frequently boosted - this is the difficult bit.

In terms of security- Most of the original telegraph cables were British owned and run, most went via Cornwall and were ‘checked’ by ‘people’ in London. Where they didn’t go via the UK they would be monitored locally by the operators or their representatives.
This system just evolved into voice and data….

[LordLoveLength]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

I wonder how many covert charges, taps, etc. are placed on the west's and the east's subsea cables?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy_Bells

[Beyond Rational]

I'm sorry, but IMHO, this cable should have been turned around before it was allowed to land. This country is full of cables and we don't need no more.

[andyeds1234]

Beyond Rational said:

I'm sorry, but IMHO, this cable should have been turned around before it was allowed to land. This country is full of cables and we don't need no more.

Very good

[Earthdweller]

And you wonder why this was there ?


https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/russian-spy-ship-y...