Why Does Range Matter for Submarine Cables?


Final week, I joined Ciena’s Brian Lavallée and Colt’s Laurent Taieb for a stay webinar all about submarine cable route range and sustainability.

In my view, I lined why range issues for submarine cables—a really well timed subject in mild of latest occasions world wide.

Maybe you’ve heard in regards to the a number of cable faults within the Pink Sea in February or off of West Africa in March? There have been additionally faults off of East Africa earlier this month.

With so many a number of fault incidents occurring globally, range is important to making sure continuity of service.

With so many a number of fault incidents occurring globally, range is important to making sure continuity of service.

Now, you could be questioning: how will we improve range?

Submarine cable range may be seen in a number of completely different varieties: range on a single route, range of geographic route, and variety of cable touchdown stations.

Range on a Single Route

Community operators might use completely different cables alongside the identical route. They’ll diversify additional with cables which have completely different house owners.

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Range on the Trans-Atlantic Route

There have been massive modifications on the trans-Atlantic route inside the final 10 years or so.

The highest map within the determine beneath, pre-2015, reveals a heavy focus of cables targeted on the New York/New Jersey space. On the European facet, we see a heavy deal with the UK and northwestern France.

There are just a few exceptions, after all, however these areas are the place cables have been usually targeted earlier than 2015.

TG-Ciena_slides-1
Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

Going ahead to in the present day, plus the cables deliberate by means of 2026, we see a broad distribution of cables from Canada to the southeastern United States. There are a number of new touchdown websites in Virginia Seaside and Myrtle Seaside.

Equally, on the European facet, we see a broad distribution from Scandinavia to the Iberian Peninsula, with a lot of new landings in southwestern France, northern Spain, western Eire, Portugal, and Norway.

Range on the Trans-Pacific Route

Within the different main ocean, the Pacific, the same development is going on. 

pre-2017, there’s a heavy deal with cables going to Japan. On the U.S. facet, issues are a bit extra numerous, however primarily targeted on Oregon and southern California.

TG-Ciena_slides 2-1
Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

The underside map, 2017–2026, reveals that a lot of cables are nonetheless going to Japan, but additionally to Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Rather more range is going on on the Asian facet. 

On the North American facet, together with a brand new cable touchdown in northern California (Eureka), we now see cables going to Canada and Mexico.

Range of Geographic Route

Range will also be achieved with cables that go in several geographical instructions.

For instance, in keeping with our knowledge, cables in India are break up roughly 50/50 between heading west towards Europe and east towards Singapore and the remainder of Asia.

TG-Ciena_slides 3-1
Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

Australia is an fascinating case.

For years, it was closely targeted on cables going east towards North America. That’s been altering over the past a number of years because it will increase range with new cables heading north, and even a cable heading west.

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Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

Now, one key factor to keep in mind that usually will get misplaced on this dialogue: connectivity just isn’t capability.

One key factor to keep in mind that usually will get misplaced on this dialogue: connectivity just isn’t capability.

Don’t be fooled; cable maps present connectivity, not how capability is deployed.

The Center East has substantial cable connectivity in all instructions, however 84% of the area’s used worldwide capability is linked to Europe.  

TG-Ciena_slides 4-1
Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

Range of Cable Touchdown Stations

Lastly, community operators might use cables that come into the identical normal location however into completely different cable stations. They’ll additionally use cable stations with completely different house owners.

Plenty of cables land in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Whereas this may increasingly appear to be a foul concept—a single level of failure—that is not the case.

TG-Ciena_slides 5-1
Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

There are literally a number of completely different cable stations with completely different house owners inside Jeddah. So there actually is a whole lot of range, despite the fact that you may even see just one normal space on the map.

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Supply: © 2024 TeleGeography

At TeleGeography, we at the moment are including cable touchdown station data to our Transport Networks Analysis Service submarine cable profiles.

The place out there, this consists of:

  • Station title
  • Station proprietor
  • Different cables in the identical station

We’re steadily updating and increasing this knowledge set, so if you’re a Transport Networks subscriber, you should definitely examine again typically for the newest model.


Submarine Cables & Diversity

In case you’d prefer to obtain my full slide deck from this webinar, you are able to do so over right here.



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