How do submarine cables carry the internet and how resilient are they?

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1. 1

   Submarine communications cable (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 14, 2026Checked Oct 14, 2026

   “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. The first submarine communications cables were laid beginning in the 1850s and carried telegraphy traffic, establishing the first instant telecommunications links between continents, such as the first transatlantic telegraph cable which became operational on 16 August 1858. By 1872 all the continents with the exception of Antarctica had been linked by submarine telecommunications cables. Although plans have been made to construct one, as of February 2026, Antarctica remains without a submarine cable link to the other continents. Subsequent generations of cables carried telephone traffic, then data communications traffic. These early cables used copper wires in their cores, but modern cables use optical fiber technology to carry digital data, which includes telephone, internet and private data traffic.”

2. 2

   Volcanic eruptions and the global subsea telecommunications network.

   Bulletin of volcanology (Clare et al.)Published Jun 4, 2025Checked Oct 14, 2026

   “Vincent. We find that the causes of damage typically relate to secondary hazards that occur not only at the same time as the eruption climax, but also some time after. There does not appear to be an explosivity intensity threshold for cable-damaging events; however, the extent of damage may be related to the original volcano morphology (e.g. steep slopes), spatial location (e.g. near the coast or partially/totally submerged), the eruption size or explosivity, and/or volcanic depositional processes involved. Based on these diverse case studies, we present lessons learned for enhancing telecommunications resilience, and discuss how subsea cables themselves can be used as sensors to improve understanding and early warning of volcanic hazards, potentially filling a monitoring gap for remote island communities.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00445-025-01832-1.”

3. 3

   Satellite Internet and the Disruption of Telecommunications Infrastructures in Cameroon.

   Social studies of science (Eyenga)Published Dec 26, 2025Checked Oct 14, 2026

   “However, there is a tension between the ideal and the market realities of democratizing internet access. On one hand, like philanthrocapitalist initiatives, Starlink promotes itself through humanitarian efforts that promise global internet access, presented as a public good. On the other hand, its business strategies privatize access and make it unaffordable for a large portion of the global population. Starlink is reshaping geopolitical and economic relations not only by competing with national operators and challenging regulatory agencies, but also by cooperating with local telecom actors and, in some cases, relying on their infrastructure to ensure the continuity of its services. Its success is further supported by a widespread crisis of user mistrust in traditional telecommunications infrastructures, fueled by frequent outages and high costs, positioning Starlink as a trust infrastructure. Our analysis shows that, while Starlink claims to promote digital inclusion, its market-driven logic deepens existing inequalities-amplifying what has long been a major challenge of internet access and rendering it even more visible and politically salient in the 21st century.”

4. 4

   Technological and Biological Systems' Resilience: Observations and Learnings.

   Environmental management (Robertson & Bond)Published Jun 2, 2025Checked Oct 14, 2026

   “Biological systems, by contrast, typically demonstrate truly spectacular resilience, evidenced by the capability to self-repair deterioration and injury over millennia. Definitions of resilience commonly assemble multiple concepts describing the achievement of 'resilience' and the means by which this is achieved. Breaking down these concepts as they are applied to biological and technological systems allows useful analysis of the concepts that inhibit or promote resilience in technological systems. This paper attempts to learn from resilience processes as these are applied within biological systems, in order to clarify understanding of the basis for resilience of current and future technological systems. We propose that principles demonstrated to achieve high levels of resilience in biological system, can increase the resilience of technological systems.”