Cable-Laying Boom Will Boost Internet Capacity

Barence writes "Dozens of new undersea internet cables are set to be laid over the next couple of years, providing a huge boost to worldwide capacity. The huge boom in internet video has led to doomsday scenarios of the internet running out of capacity. Although experts believe that there is abundant amounts of 'dark fibre' lying unused in oceans across the world, major telcos are pushing ahead with projects that will see at least 25 new cables laid by 2010, at a cost of $6.4bn."

Comments

Re:Dark Fiber

[prelelat]

Dark fiber is fiber optic that is unused. Fiber optic has light going through it. Unused it has no light going through it. No light means it's dark.

So what they are talking about is lots of fiber optic line that is not being used for one reason or another(some have redundent lines that are used only if there is a break or other pointless reasons). I hope that helps.

Note from teh Pendantic Squid

[smittyoneeach]

"Anchors Aweigh" means that the anchor is free of the bottom.
Your trusty Quartermaster logs the event, and the ship is legally underway (should paint be traded with another vessel, and a trip to the "Long Green Table" ensue).
The command (in the US Navy, anyway) is "Let go the anchor", and the bosun trips the pelican hook (usually with a sledge hammer), a deafening roar ensues as the chain comes flying out of the chain locker, and everyone on the fo'c'sle has a religious experience.

Check out the cable laying blog

[edremy]

See the Pipe International blog about the cable they are laying between Australia and Guam. There's tons of detail in here for any sort of geek- stuff on the ships, sonar and mapping of the seabed, how modern cables amplify signals, details on the buildings that house both ends and tons more.

One of the oddest blogs out there, but strangely compelling.