We live in the age of wireless, but the Internet wouldn’t exist without undersea cables.

The submarine cables are the fastest and most economical way to connect internet between the different countries. Are five curiosities Over the submarine cablesthey will surprise you.

DE-CIX is the world’s leading operator of Internet exchange points or neutral points. A vital element for the Internet to work.

To reduce latency, ISPs (Internet Service Providers) use neutral points or Internet exchange points. They are companies that connect some ISPs with others, reducing latency and failures, among other benefits.

The largest neutral point worldwide is the German company DE-CIX, which offers its clients a transfer speed of more than 127 Terabits per second. DE-CIX has dozens of exchange points in the world, including Madrid and Barcelona, where a good part of the traffic from our country passes through, to connect with the foreigner.

DE-CIX, like other peer-to-peer providers, ISPs, etc., connect the countries wearing submarine cablessince it offers much more speed, stability and security than any wireless connection.

Curiosities about submarine cables

Last October, the 2Africa submarine cable, the longest in the world. Measure 45,000 kilometers. In effect, it could go around the Earth completely.

It may surprise you to learn that they are not a modern invention. He first submarine cable connected Newfoundland and Ireland, in 1858… 165 years ago! Unfortunately it only remained active for 3 weeks, because the telephone signal, which was what it was used for, began to degrade.

Modern submarine cables carry within them hundreds of fiber optic cables not thicker than a hair. These cables are protected with several layers of resistant materials such as polyethylenecopper and even aluminum barriers water resistant Its thickness is usually not greater than an arm.

Not only do you have to prevent water from entering. Also being bitten by certain animals, such as sharks, or being broken by ship anchors or fishing nets.

The submarine cables They have a life cycle of about 25 yearsbut it depends on the environmental conditions.

The cables are stretched across the sea using huge ships:

When it comes to repairing them, there are ships moored in strategic areas, where there is a greater concentration of cables.

If there is a breakdown, they go to the indicated coordinates, and an underwater robot Go down to the bottom to bring the cable up to the surface. It is repaired, and submerged again.

Currently there are more than 400 submarine cables deployed by all the seas of the planet. 28 submarine cables arrive in Spain, coming from America, Africa, Asia and Europe. In 2021 a new extension of the 2Africa that will connect the Canary Islands with the Peninsula.

As for its length, the shortest is the one that connects Ireland with the United Kingdom: it only measures 130 km. But others, such as the one that connects Japan and the United Kingdom, have 28,000 km. And we have already mentioned the 2Africawhich reaches 45,000 kilometers longbecause it connects the African continent with the entire planet.

The submarine cables they are the veins of the internet. Without them a global connection would be impossible.