More than 97% of global internet traffic travels under the sea, via submarine cables . They are capable of carrying far more data than satellites, and at a much cheaper cost. Even data for smartphones come mainly from these cables. VIDÉOGRAPHIE
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00:00More than 97% of global internet traffic travels under the sea via submarine cables.
00:13They are capable of carrying far more data than satellites, and at a much cheaper cost.
00:19Even data for smartphones comes mainly from these cables.
00:24The cables are about as thick as a large garden hose.
00:28A sheath formed of various plastics and metals, notably copper and aluminium, make them water
00:34resistant and able to conduct electricity.
00:37At the centre of this sheath are optical fibres as thin as a human hair.
00:41They carry internet data, transmitted in the form of light signals, which travel by bouncing
00:46against the walls of the fibres, the core of which are generally made of glass, to allow
00:52this refraction to occur.
00:54To avoid weakening of the signal over distance, repeaters are installed at regular intervals
00:59to amplify the light signals.
01:02Ships can unroll the cables directly onto the sea floor, and can also bring them to
01:07the surface for repairs.
01:09Near the coast and under beaches, the cables are buried to avoid being damaged by fishing
01:13nets or boat anchors.
01:15Earthquakes can also damage these cables.
01:18In general, damage to cables is quite common, which is why companies always spread their
01:23data networks across different submarine cables.