8 Things you should know about submarine cables

For some time, Nigerians were curious to know what caused the recent internet disruption that happened for days. Did you also switch off your mobile phone many times wondering what could be wrong? I actually did. But subsequently, reports emerged that it was due to damaged submarine cables. That sounds strange. And the fear of the unknown crept in. For how long?

This actually caused a breakdown in communication in some West and South African countries. You might be wondering, what are submarine cables? Why are they so important to internet connection?  This article exhausts the basic things you should know about submarine cables.

1. Submarine cables are fibre optic cables used in connecting countries across the world. They are very lengthy and have the capacity to transmit huge data quickly from one point to the other.
2. The first submarine cable was in 1866 — it delivered twelve telegraphed words per minute. In 1956, submarine coaxial telecommunication cables emerged; it was able to carry multiple voice channels. The first transoceanic fibre-optic was installed in 1988; linking the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom together.
3. Submarine cables have the highest voltage including the capacity to secure telecommunications links across the world. Submarine cables are utilized by big companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google.
4. According to the Information & Technology Innovation Foundation, undersea cable drives nearly 99% of all international communications traffic.
5. Submarine cables are laid on the seabed before it can carry telecommunication signals across the sea. They are installed after undersea paths have been analyzed using undersea cable software.
6. They are made of optical fibres or copper; surrounded by different protective wire materials.
7. Having access to information on the internet is made possible through submarine cables. Daily financial transactions made across the world also depend on it. Now you get why banking services were frustrating?
8. Probable events that can disrupt the flow of these cables are underwater earthquakes or human activities.