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History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications from the first submarine cable of 1850 to the worldwide fiber optic network

This morning I read an impressive article by Alfonso Desiderio about the 2012 Submarine Cable Map of the world. For Desiderio this is a good way to remind us that the internet seems ‘incorporeal’ but actually it is based on a very huge physical structure.

I’ve collected eight maps to show the development of the submarine cable network. I picked the first 4 images from the History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications’ site.

1 1855 Map; showing the telegraph lines in operation, under contract, and contemplated, to complete the circuit of the globe / entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1855 by J.H. Colton & Co. in the Clerks Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York.

2 1903 Map: Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Co Ltd Showing submarine telegraph cables the cores of which were manufactured at The Gutta Percha Works, Wharf Road, City Road, London N.

3 1924: This chart represents the world’s international cable network in 1924. It was compiled from the official data of the International Telegraph Bureau, Berne, Switzerland.

4 1992 British Telecomm map of Communications - Around the World

And I found the second four maps on the TeleGeography’s web site.

5 Submarine Cable Map 2000

6 Submarine cable map 2004

9 Submarine cable map 2008

8 Submarine Cable Map 2010

TeleGeography offered also an interactive website called Submarine cable map. Data contained in this map is drawn from Global Bandwidth Research Service and is updated on a regular basis.

I begin to ask myself how many meters are needed to post this message…