submarine communications cable
Sign in to saveAlso known as under sea cable, under-sea cable, Submarine cable, submarine telecommunications cable, submarine cable system, underwater communications cable
long range communications device placed underwater, often intercontinental
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A cross section of the shore-end of a modern submarine communications cable. 1 – Polyethylene 2 – Mylar tape 3 – Stranded steel wires 4 – Aluminium water barrier 5 – Polycarbonate 6 – Copper or aluminium tube 7 – Petroleum jelly 8 – Optical fibers Submarine cables are laid using special cable layer ships, such as the modern René Descartes [fr], operated by Orange Marine.
A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “submarine communications cable” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.