Lmst

TAT-8 — The First Transatlantic Fiber — Rises Again https://hackaday.com/2026/02/24/tat-8-the-first-transatlantic-fiber-rises-again/
#Internethacks #News #Fiberoptics #Transatlanticcable #Undersea

TAT-8 — The First Transatlantic Fiber — Rises Again

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://hackaday.com/2026/02/24/tat-8-the-first-transatlantic-fiber-rises-again/

<div><img alt="" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" height="298" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/tat8.png?w=800" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" width="800" /></div><p>While you may have never heard of TAT-8, there is a good chance you sent some data through it. TAT-8 was the 8th transatlantic communications cable and the first transatlantic fiber-optic cable, carrying 560 Mbit/s on two fibers between Tuckerton, New Jersey, and, thanks to an underwater splitting device, Widemouth Bay, England, and Penmarch, France. Construction of the cable began in 1998. Later that year, the first call, made by [Issac Asimov] took place. The cable was retired in 2002. Now, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/subsea-environmental-services_submarinecable-tat8-fiberoptic-activity-7391955702262706176-Vw56" target="_blank">Subsea Environmental Services</a> is recovering the cable for recycling.</p>
<p>The 6,000 km cable was built by a consortium of companies including AT&T, France Télécom, and British Telecom. The 1.3 micron fiber used special optical repeaters about 40 km apart and cost about $335 million (just shy of a billion dollars today). Designers were optimistic, with some claiming the cable would end the need for future cables or, at least, that the cable would not reach capacity for ten years or more. In reality, the cable was saturated within 18 months. Turns out, the equivalent of 40,000 phone lines wasn’t enough.</p>
<p><

. The failure of the initial 1858 attempt ultimately led to a more robust, successful cable in 1866, proving that setbacks can pave the way for transformative advancements. It’s a reminder that modern breakthroughs don’t emerge in isolation but build upon centuries of innovation and hard-won lessons.

#TechHistory #TransatlanticCable #Innovation #Engineering #GlobalConnectivity #LegacyOfTech (6/6)

Under the Sea: Optical Repeaters for Submarine Cables https://hackaday.com/2023/08/08/under-the-sea-optical-repeaters-for-submarine-cables/ #transatlanticcable #transoceanic #Engineering #fiberoptics #repeater #undersea

@pauleastwood

It is amazing! And the laying of the cable is depicted in the art inside US Capitol dome, in the fresco Apotheosis of Washington:

"with Neptune holding his trident and Venus holding the transatlantic cable, which was being laid at the time the fresco was painted"

https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/apotheosis-washington

#USCapitol #ApotheosisOfWashington #Neptune #TransatlanticCable

Detail of fresco with Neptune holding his trident and Venus holding the transatlantic cable, which was being laid at the time the fresco was painted

Thin underwater cables hold the internet. See a map of them all.

The internet is known to pulse through fiber optic cables and cell phone towers, but 99% of high-speed international information is transferred under the sea. How long has this been happening?

Underwater cables delivering information isn't a novel idea — the first Transatlantic cable was laid in 1858—undersea cables have been around since the telegraph.

#Internet #Earth #TransatlanticCable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve810FHZ1CQ

#Transatlanticcable

Client Info