TeleGeography's Official Blog

Two Truths and a Lie: Submarine Cable Edition

Written by Kristin Carlson | May 20, 2022 11:52:00 AM

In honor of Subsea World 2022 happening next month, let's play two truths and a lie: submarine cable edition.

One of these three statements is false:

  1. A submarine cable is typically as wide as a garden hose.
  2. Nearly all countries that have a coastline are connected to a submarine cable.
  3. Submarine cable capacities don't vary much.

Did you catch the lie? If you're stumped, you can find the answer at the bottom of this page.

And if cable talk sparks your interest, consider attending Subsea World—a premium conference for the submarine cables industry.

This year's event will be held June 21–22 in Marseille, France, and the agenda is packed with industry-relevant topics like The Changing Landscape of the Global Subsea Industry, Digital Infrastructure of the Future, How is Convergence Enhancing Subsea Connectivity, and more.

Learn more about the speakers, networking opportunities, and registration over here.

Answer: #3 is false. Cable capacities actually vary a lot. Typically, newer cables are capable of carrying more data than cables laid 15 years ago. For more cable basics, check out our submarine cable FAQs.