TAT-8 Is Pulled Up After 38 Years, Freeing Atlantic Route for New Cables
Updated
Updated · Engadget · Jun 5
TAT-8 Is Pulled Up After 38 Years, Freeing Atlantic Route for New Cables
2 articles · Updated · Engadget · Jun 5
Summary
TAT-8—the first transatlantic fiber-optic cable—was recovered earlier this year after 38 years, ending nearly a quarter-century on the Atlantic seabed after it went out of service in 2002.
2002 fault repairs were deemed too expensive, and operators ultimately lifted the cable to clear space for newer links and recover valuable copper, with recycling an added environmental benefit.
500-plus undersea cables now carry about 99% of international data, using hair-thin glass fibers and laser signals to move hundreds of terabits per second between continents.
150 to 200 cable incidents occur each year, about 80% tied to human activity such as anchors and fishing trawlers, though redundancy usually limits disruption.
25 years is the average cable lifespan, but remote regions can still be highly exposed—Tonga lost internet and phone service for more than a month in 2022 after its lone cable was damaged.