February 12, 2008 9:03 AM
America's International Internet Advantage
A couple weeks ago I wrote about the cutting of two major underseas Internet cables near Egypt, which led to a 50% drop in connectivity for some entire countries.
I commented about how I was surprised this doesn't happen more often given the fact that international Internet traffic is being delivered on hair-thin strands strung across the ocean floor. In continuing to read I learned that this is a fairly common occurrence; the unique part of this story was that multiple cables serving a similar area were cut around the same time.
In researching the topic, I came across this picture.
It shows a rough approximation of the major underseas fiber optic cables that unite the world's communications.
What I found most interesting in this image was America's connectivity. Quite simply, it looks like it's unparalleled with anywhere else in the world.
There are upwards of a dozen major trunk lines branching off from each coast reaching to Asia and Europe.
I looked at that map and realized that if a cable were cut off the coast of the US it likely wouldn't have any noticeable impact to consumers at all as there's plenty of alternative pipes through which traffic can be routed.
I'm not sure if it's America's leadership in all things Internet that led to this reality or our country's unique geography with major coasts on both oceans.
But either way it's nice to know we can go to bed each night without having to worry that an errant anchor will prevent anyone in this country from enjoying the hunt for fresh content, applications, and services in the global marketplace.