Internet

May 25, 2023

Why Are Submarine Cables Being Rerouted?

What has the TeleGeography team been reading lately?

First up on our list: a Foreign Policy piece explaining why new submarine cables are not connecting the U.S. and China.

We also pulled some stories that have been making the rounds in our Slack channels, from a very special birthday to a unique liquidation sale.

May 23, 2023

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Submarine Cables & AI

Although TeleGeography Explains the Internet explores all areas of the global business of connectivity, there are some hot topics that demand extra attention.

Submarine cables and artificial intelligence are two examples. Both are heavily covered in the press and on everyone's minds right now—including our podcast guests.

Here are some highlights pulled from Season 4. Listen as experts weigh in on utilizing subsea cables as seismic monitoring networks, using AI in network monitoring, and more.

May 18, 2023

Is This the Greatest Shortcoming of the Human Race?

At SubOptic 2023, my colleague Tim Stronge and I brought back the Telecom Mythbusters to test a new series of myths.

I already covered my first two myths from our presentation: the cable lifespan myth and the 99% myth.

My third and final myth—the exponential growth myth—is based upon a quote that I found.

“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” –Albert Allen Bartlett

May 9, 2023

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Podcast Recap, Part 2

In honor of the upcoming fifth season of TeleGeography Explains the Internet, we’re running you through the highlights of all 25 episodes from Season 4, five at a time.

Revisit part one to watch clips on energy conservation in the fiber optic space, the resurgence of satellite, the changing nature of technology, and more.

May 4, 2023

Do Submarine Cables Account For Over 99% of Intercontinental Data Traffic?

“Submarine cables account for over 99% of intercontinental data traffic” is regularly quoted in the press with no source given.

It’s time for some fact-checking.

May 2, 2023

Lessons Learned From Season 4: Podcast Recap, Part 1

We just wrapped up the fourth season of our podcast, TeleGeography Explains the Internet.

After three seasons focused primarily on the WAN, Senior Manager/Podcast Host Greg Bryan spent the last few months more broadly exploring the global business of connectivity with a wide range of guests.

A lot of ground was covered. In fact, if you were to binge the whole season at once, it would take around 20 hours to listen through all 25 episodes.

While that would be very impressive, we've made a highlight reel with bite-sized clips to help you catch up. Stay tuned as we work our way through the season, five episodes at a time.

Apr 27, 2023

New Map Explores Sustainability Across the Subsea Industry

This month’s list of telecom reading recs starts off with a new map that you may have seen circulating on social media.

Apr 20, 2023

Is the Lifespan of a Submarine Cable Really 25 Years?

“The lifespan of a submarine cable is 25 years.” We’ve all heard that, right?

Is this statement really a fact—or is it fiction? Let’s find out.

Apr 18, 2023

What Happens to Cables When The Earth Moves Under Our Feet?

How are submarine cables impacted by tectonic shifts beneath the seafloor?

This week's guests on TeleGeography Explains the Internet are well-positioned to tell us. They join us from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre: Isobel Yeo, Researcher in Geology and Volcanology, and Michael Clare, Principal Researcher of Ocean BioGeoscience and Marine Environmental Adviser to the International Cable Protection Committee

Mike and Izzy are geologists specializing in the seafloor, so their research has become vital for the submarine cable community.

Apr 6, 2023

Do $10 Trillion of Financial Transactions Flow Over Submarine Cables Each Day?

It's regularly cited in the press that $10 trillion of financial transactions flow over submarine cables every day. But is it true?