technology

Undersea cables, Europe's Achilles heel

According to franceinfo, a network of 1.4 million km of undersea cables carries almost all digital data and constitutes a major weak point for Europe.

europe, internet, achille, terre, la chine, civilisation numérique, guerre silencieuse, silencieuse menace

Key facts

  • These cables connect every continent. Laid end to end, they would stretch 1.4 million kilometers, or 35 times around the Earth, franceinfo reports.
  • This week, Franceinfo is devoting an in-depth look to the vast network of undersea fiber-optic cables through which virtually all digital data…
  • They are laid by ships across the seas and oceans. An email sent or an Internet search travels along these fiber-optic links.

These cables connect every continent. Laid end to end, they would stretch 1.4 million kilometers, or 35 times around the Earth, franceinfo reports.

This week, Franceinfo is devoting an in-depth look to the vast network of undersea fiber-optic cables through which virtually all digital data exchanged around the world travels.

They are laid by ships across the seas and oceans. An email sent or an Internet search travels along these fiber-optic links.

It is an invisible network that covers the planet and makes life as we know it today possible, the report notes.

An isolated cut has no major consequences: the network is very dense and data can be rerouted.

Some actors, however, are taking a very close interest in these cables. Some have small submarines capable of severing them.

The report thus describes a discreet global infrastructure at the heart of digital traffic, whose vulnerability is becoming a strategic issue for Europe.

Dig deeper

What is a submarine fiber-optic cable?

It is a glass link laid on the seabed that carries data in the form of light. Nearly all international digital traffic passes through this network, far more than through satellites.

Why is France particularly concerned?

With its Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines and its overseas territories, France is a major landing point for the cables that link Europe to Africa, the Americas and Asia.

Why does Europe see this as a strategic issue?

Europe's economy, administrations and communications depend on these discreet links. A coordinated attack could block essential flows, whereas an isolated cut can be bypassed thanks to the density of the network.

Where are these cables most exposed?

Near the coasts, in shallow waters, they are more accessible than on the open sea, at the point where ships lay them and where data come ashore.

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