Underwater communications cables, more commonly known as submarine cables, are cables laid on the seabed for telecommunication purposes. Stretching hundreds of thousands of kilometres across oceans and seas around the world, submarine cables form an essential part of the worldwide communication network. They carry 95% of all international data and communication traffic, including voice, video, data and internet traffic exchanged daily between continents and countries. The first submarine communications cable was laid across the English Channel in 1850 and since then underwater cabling has come a long way.

Construction and Components of Submarine Cables
A typical Submarine Cables consists of multiple wire conductor pairs, surrounded by plastic insulation. The conductors are made of copper or optical fibers clad in glass. Outside the insulation lies a layer of armour for mechanical protection, usually made of one or more layers of steel wire wrapped in a helical formation. The armour is then covered by more layers of polymer insulation and a polypropylene yarn layer for UV protection. Modern submarine cables also include repeaters to boost and amplify signals. Cables are buried under the seabed to prevent mechanical failure and damage from fishing nets or anchors. Cable manufacturing takes place in specialized cable laying vessels which can lay cables at depths of 3000m or more.

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