Modern internet runs over underwater cables funded by companies whose business is based on wireless communication and networking like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. Most of us are barely aware of the undersea data cables as the data travels across the oceans. A massive cable mesh works together to give you seamless wi-fi that you don’t have to even think about how is this made possible.
A major disruption caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 crab the people’s attention due to the damage of approximately $71 billion. It affected the North American and Europe internet connections banging into the US East Coast. According to the director of Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure and Operations division for global network strategy, for a few hours, the entire network was isolated between Europe and North America. A potential challenge was highlighted by the storm to consolidate the New Jersey and New York transatlantic cables.
Consequently, Microsoft based its newest cable further down the Virginia coast to avoid disruption in the US operations if the storm hits the region again. Keeping the new cables away from the earlier cluster of cables reduces the disruption if the storm hits New York. Most experts don’t blame nature for these disruptions as most failures in the internet network are still caused by human error. In a year, there are approximately 200 failures in the cables due to human error.
Some of these human failures include ship anchors, trawling, and fishing nets accidents, contributing to at least “two-thirds of the total errors in the underwater cables”. Landslides, earthquakes, and other natural disasters contribute to major cable failures. In 2006, Taiwan’s off the southwest coast hit an earthquake of a magnitude-7.0 that resulted in disruption in China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. The aftershocks caused the cutting down of eight submarine cables and huge outages in these countries.
Most of these failures do not have a huge impact on the performance of giant companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook because they have integrated multiple routes to spread their data. Therefore, if one route is disrupted it doesn’t affect their business. Strong businesses always consider unexpected failures while operating internationally as they rely heavily on underwater cables.
Laying Underwater Cable
Laying the cables underwater costs millions and it requires years to safely integrate them. A flat seabed is preferred for cable laying because it causes fewer disruptions and rubs from rocks. Deep the cables are laid, safer they are, and there are rarely any problems when cables stay at the bottom of the seabed. On the contrary, the closer to shore, the more difficult it is to avoid cable failures. For cables to be safer under the ocean from its environment, they should be thick. If it is only a few centimeters thick, it is too shallow for the shoreline with rocks. You need to armor coat it to prevent it from hacking.
To ensure that cables don’t break stainless steel and extra plastic wraps are used to make cables safer in the less hospitable areas. Sometimes a concrete trench is embedded underwater to carry the cables and protect them from being knocked against the rocks. Before the cable is laid under the ocean, a specialized team is sent out to map the sea floor and figure out the elevation change underwater, avoiding areas near volcanos and undersea currents.
When the specialized team checks and plots the route for the cable laying and approve it to be safe, the years-long process of underwater cable integration starts.
Crippling Blow to Britain's Security
Rishi Sunak, a British Lawmaker wrote in the think tank Policy Exchange paper in 2017 that under ocean cables are challenging for national security. According to him, the deep-sea exposed more vulnerabilities for the data as the cables are entirely placed in public and isolated. In times of war, vulnerabilities and threats will increase and the prosperity and security of the country is challenged. However, it is impossible to cut down multiple cables connected to the UK even if a malicious entity deliberately tries to accomplish it in times of war. On-shore, infrastructure is much easier to target if the entities want to knock the key facilities. To sabotage the internet in the country, you need to cut off all the cables simultaneously.
Conclusion
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