Animated Video Shows How The Internet Is Powered By Undersea Cables

These days, it can be hard to imagine life without the internet. We go online everyday for both the important and the mundane from researching for schoolwork and sending urgent work-related messages, to posting social media selfies and merely checking out the news. On top of that, the web can also be used for job hunting and online shopping, among many others.

In short, this technology has become more of a necessity than a luxury nowadays. Surviving without it is definitely inconceivable.

But do you actually understand how internet is received across the world? Well, according to this animated video by Business Insider, interconnected cables underwater actually do all the work.

According to the video description:

“Every time you visit a web page or send an email, data is being sent and received through an intricate cable system that stretches around the globe. Since the 1850s, we’ve been laying cables across oceans to become better connected. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of miles of fiber optic cables constantly transmitting data between nations.”

These undersea fiber optic cables span about 885,000 kilometers which is enough to circle the world at least 22 times. They transmit about 99% of all international data – including those cute cat videos you often view on YouTube. It’s really interesting and educational!

You can watch the animated video here:

Of course, the video pointed out that positioning one cable alone under the sea takes a long, arduous process. In fact, it requires several months and usually costs hundreds of millions of dollars. Besides, some of the cables are laid more than 25,000 feet below the ocean’s surface.

Magnificent cross-section of an undersea cable. $400/foot

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