I recently had a long weekend in Cornwall, where I stayed in a small village with a huge legacy - Porthcurno. It's home to the PK Museum of Global Communications, where I had a glimpse into the roots of global connectivity.
The global nerve center for communications
Porthcurno is right at the south-western tip of the UK, and is known for its beautiful beach and open-air Minack Theatre. But did you know that in the 1870s, Porthcurno became known as the global nerve center for communications? Chosen for its key location and minimal marine traffic, work began to connect Britain to Portugal, Spain, India, and even as far away as Australia making near-instant communication possible for the first time in history using cable-based telegraphy.
In more recent history, the first transatlantic telephone cable was laid in 1956 and then in 1997, the Gemini cable became the first transatlantic optical fiber cable, a huge milestone in the development of the internet. AT&T, MCI, and British Telecom worked together to build Gemini which was opened by Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, carried over 100 terabits of data per day until it was decommissioned in 2009.
Although technology has advanced way beyond telegraphy, and redundant cables have since been removed, fibre optic cables still use the same routes first planned back in the 19th century. The surprising story of how Porthcurno played its part in shaping our digital age was really fascinating, I recommend a visit!
The importance of submarine cables
Submarine cables are vital for global communication and internet connectivity; they carry a whopping 95% of international data traffic! Nearly 500 submarine cables are operating across the globe, forming the backbone of the internet, supporting everything from everyday communication to international business and cloud services.
Without these cables, global connectivity would be severely limited. And they’re becoming more and more vulnerable to intentional threats like sabotage, anchors being dropped (unintentionally) in the wrong place, and natural disasters like earthquakes, undersea landslides, and peckish sharks.
The history of this technology is quite amazing, and rightfully needs to be protected - watch this space.
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