Internet in the Ocean

Did you know that your internet is coming from the bottom of the ocean?

Most of us think that all the information making up the internet is flying around in the clouds above us, but it’s not. In fact, tiny bits of code and data move through the world’s oceans in fiber optic cables spread across the seafloor. These cables are made of thin strands of glass fibers (smaller than a strand of hair) that help this coded digital information travel at the speed of light!

That means when we surf the web for food recipes to share, post photos on social media, or watch videos, all the information we’re sending and receiving is literally flowing through our oceans.

Isn’t that fascinating?

What’s more, 98% of the world’s internet cables are located undersea. This includes around 400 underwater cables around the world with a total length of about 745,645 miles.

To withstand the unpredictable and harsh ocean environment, these underwater internet cables are built in a very sophisticated way. The vulnerable glass fibers are surrounded by many layers of different materials, such as plastics, steel, copper, and tar. Heavy currents, powerful marine animals, rocks, earthquakes, and bottom fishing ships are just some of the challenges that underwater cables are facing daily. But those cables are really strong, enduring, and water-resistant and are expected to survive for up to 25 years.

We hear you asking: “How do these cables get spread around the oceans?”. You can thank a specially constructed cable-carrying and laying 456-foot ship named the Durable! This ship can carry over 4,000 miles of cable at a time weighing about 3,500 metric tons. It takes about four weeks to load all the cables on the ship before each trip to the open oceans. When the Durable reaches the right locations, an underwater plow is used to bury the cable in the sea floor.

Want to know more? Take a look at the Submarine Cable Map, a website that provides information on each underwater cable— its length, who owns it, and when it was planted at the oceans’ bottom.