Maybe you've been scrolling through our blogs about recent cable breaks. Or perhaps it just feels like there's been an uptick of cable fault chatter online. Either way, disruptions to service have made their way into a few spring headlines.
But it's worth remembering that where there have been faults, there have also been repairs.
With a new year comes new cables. Today, we're examining five that are set to make their debut in 2020.
One disclaimer: if our 2019 list of cables taught us anything, it's that nothing is a sure thing. So you might recognize one of these from last year's rundown—but it truly looks like this is going to be their year.
As always, we'll highlight the content providers who are involved, ready for service dates, and the stats that make these cables stand out.
There's been a lot of press about delayed approval for the Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN) cable, which is due to connect Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines to the United States.
You can understand why this cable has gotten extra attention. Backers include Google, Facebook, and Pacific Light Data Communication (PLDC), which is owned by Chinese ISP Dr. Peng Telecom & Media Group.
While the whole system is awaiting approval from U.S. authorities, Google and Facebook have requested that the FCC allow activation of the Taiwan and Philippines portions of the cable.
Anyone who follows the submarine cable sector knows that a lot of cables have been built in recent years—and investments in new cables keep coming.
I gave a presentation at Submarine Networks World 2019 in Singapore titled "Is Your Planned Submarine Cable Doomed?" My goal was not to identify particular planned cables that I think are doomed to fail, but rather to highlight some of the key flaws we often see when assessing cable operator business plans on behalf of investors.
Global internet bandwidth rose last year by only 26%—the lowest annual growth rate seen in at least 15 years—and at a compound annual rate of 28% between 2015 and 2019.
Total international bandwidth now stands at 466 Tbps. The pace of growth is slowing, but it still represents a near-tripling of bandwidth since 2015.
We’ve written quite a bit about content provider’s investments in new cables. And we’ve seen headlines about Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Facebook’s big new investments. So does that mean that content providers are the largest investors in new submarine cables?
It's a new year—one in which we expect to see lots of new submarine cables enter service.
Today we're examining five noteworthy cables to look for in 2019. We'll highlight the content providers who are involved, ready for service dates, and the stats that make these cables stand out.
