We all use the internet in our daily lives. In today's world, it has become a part of our lives, and for some people, it is their lives. Mankind today would find it very difficult to survive if the internet were to stop existing suddenly one day.
Mankind has a serious problem regarding the things that are easily accessible to us. As nowadays the internet is very easily accessible to a lot of people, we have stopped being grateful for the struggles people had to go through to make it accessible to this extent for us.
So let us take a look at how does the internet keeps us connected across the globe. How a WhatsApp message sent by someone from, say India, to someone in the US gets delivered in a matter of seconds!
Internet is not all wireless!
The first thing that we need to know is that the internet is not wireless, at least not in the majority. How do you think different continents across the world get connected by the internet?
The answer is a huge number of big underwater cables. Yes, the internet travels through different continents not by using satellites, but by massive underwater cables spread across the globe throughout the oceans.
How are these cables laid?
While you might be able to use the internet easily sitting on your couch, it is not so easy task to lay a huge amount of cables throughout the globe.
It takes a huge amount of time and money to lay these cables. The process of laying them down is also very tedious.
At first, the best routes are plotted using naval charts. It is preferred that the cables go as deep as possible to avoid various issues like wear and tear because of rocks, underwater fauna, or human activities.
The seabed is the most preferred spot for laying the cables as they are relatively much safer there.
These cables also need to be properly armored to avoid any damage to them in the harsh conditions of the sea. They need to be guarded even more in the shallower areas because they face more risk of damage there due to various human activities like fishing.
Generally, these cables are wrapped in three layers consisting of urethane, copper, and again urethane. In some more extreme environments, or to ensure their security, they might even have extra layers of plastic, kevlar, or stainless steel.
Concrete trenches are also used in some areas to prevent damage to the cables.
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