Many people believe that global communications are achieved through satellites. However, 99 percent of international data is transported through undersea cables. These marine fibre-optic cables transmit vast amounts of data across the seafloor, delivering them throughout the world.
Marine electrical cables have a higher capacity than satellites. Using fibre-optic technology, these cables transport data at extremely rapid rates to other cables. They are the fastest transmission medium, by far, with a delay of only milliseconds.
They can handle millions of simultaneous international telephone calls without compromising speed and security. As such, data and voice transfer via subsea cables is quicker and more cost-efficient than via satellite.
The Economic Importance of Marine Cables
Subsea cables link the world’s continents. As of early 2020, approximately 406 cables across the globe are in service. But with the upsurge in cloud-based services in the last five years, there has been a 26 percent increase in available capacity on major cable routes.
These cables carry digital payloads for private data traffic, telephonic traffic, and mobile network data. They can handle bandwidth-heavy applications and data that require real-time connections, such as videos and cloud-based services. Instant financial transactions, remote health and education services, and a host of other applications also rely on subsea cables.
Submarine cables also backhaul most of the world’s internet traffic. They ensure access to Facebook, Instagram and other social media data. YouTube videos, Office365 documents and emails, and search engine results are also transmitted through these cables, regardless of which device the data was sent from.
Submarine Cables as Critical Infrastructure
Because of their crucial role in international communications, subsea cables are designated by governments as critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructures are physical and virtual assets that are essential for the functioning of an economy. When critical infrastructures are damaged, they can harm public safety, public health, and even national security.
But since marine power cables are located on the seafloor, they’re subjected to harsh conditions that cause all sorts of damage. Extreme temperatures and strong currents can cause cable faults that disrupt data transmission.
Other than subsea conditions, fishing and maritime activities and vessel anchors are among the common causes of marine cable damage. Bottom trawling, for instance, is prevalent on continental shelves where surface-laid cables are located. These destructive fishing activities can cause cable faults that disrupt communications and cost millions to repair.
Protecting Submarine Cables
Governments have established laws to minimise contact between maritime cables and subsea power cables. These laws prohibit destructive fishing activities like bottom trawling and dredging as well as anchoring on certain seabed zones where international marine cables are laid.
Submarine cable engineers also do their part to prevent cable damage. They plan cable routes away from charted anchorage areas and designated fishing and maritime activity zones to minimise the opportunities for damage.
These measures are made to ensure that subsea power cables continue to fulfil their purpose: to connect countries and make international communications as fast and efficient as possible.
To learn more about the importance of submarine cables, browse the Cable Source blog. We’re a trusted stockist and distributor of marine power cables in Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia. We supply cables for marine, industrial, petrochemical and oil and gas industries.
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