There’s been plenty of dialog concerning the latest increase in submarine cable development. This flurry of exercise turns into clearer when our annual map is considered over time.
Right this moment, we’re placing a number of years’ price of maps back-to-back to visualise an evolving undersea community. (And to reminisce about a few of our favourite designs, if I am being trustworthy.) Give every map a click on for a bigger interactive view.
2013 | An Vintage Exploration
Years in the past, our map detailed 232 lit cables and 12 that have been anticipated to come back on-line earlier than 2014. The ultimate design charted submarine cable historical past, chronicling community latency and submarine cable capability.
2014 | Protectors of the Web
In 2014 we depicted 285 cable programs that have been at present lively or attributable to enter service by 2015, in addition to the situation of 44 cable laying vessels.
The “Protectors of the Web” theme included protection of the businesses that truly lay and preserve cables, with detailed data on cable faults and repairs, together with the variety of breaks and imply time to start restore by nation.
2015 | Sub Cables and Sea Monsters
The following yr, we encountered a couple of sea monsters alongside our annual lineup of submarine cables.
We charted 299 cables that have been lively, below development, or can be funded by the top of 2015. (Vox even made a nice undersea cable explainer utilizing this map!)
2016 | 321 Cable Programs Sturdy
You would name 2016 our Blue Interval.
We like to think about it because the yr our map documented 321 cable programs. This version additionally contains inset maps and infographics which might be as data-rich as they’re lovely.
2017 | The Adventurer’s Map
We would not blame you if you happen to needed to play the Indiana Jones theme within the background when you stare upon our 2017 map.
This version borrowed design concepts from your favourite fictional archaeologist, together with submarine cable information as a set of artifacts, journal entries, and hand-drawn sketches befitting of Indiana Jones.
2018 | Detailing 366 Programs
Our 2018 submarine cable map tracks 366 submarine cable programs and 1,006 touchdown stations that have been lively, below development, or anticipated to be absolutely funded by the top of 2020. This purple projection has extra element than ever, charting fiber pairs, resiliency, and extra.
2019 | The Constructing Growth
The 2019 version is all concerning the constructing increase. Infographics single out the economics of recent cables, buyers, bandwidth demand, and—in fact—a more in-depth have a look at how content material suppliers get entangled.
Not like earlier submarine cable development booms, corporations like Amazon, Google, Fb, and Microsoft are taking a extra lively function. These corporations have unbelievable bandwidth demand for his or her information heart site visitors, which is driving initiatives and route prioritization for brand new cables.
2020 | A Rustic Throwback
Our 2020 version arrived with a new interactive expertise and free map downloads. This conventional, nostalgic design depicts 447 cable programs and 1,194 touchdown stations that have been at present lively, below development, or anticipated to be absolutely funded by the top of 2022.
2021 | Shout-Out to the Sharks
Our 2021 Submarine Cable Map depicts 464 cables and 1,245 touchdown stations; 428 cables have been lively and 36 have been deliberate after we launched this candy-colored version.
There have been fairly a couple of new graphics and FAQs to point out off. This version has trivia on cable suppliers, content material suppliers, deployments, fiber, and extra.
You may additionally discover a new shark buddy within the high proper. You may need heard that sharks are identified to chunk cables, however bites like this have not accounted for a single cable fault since 2007. Nearly all of injury to submarine cables comes from human exercise, similar to fishing and anchoring.
2022 | And It Was All Yellow
Our 2022 Submarine Cable Map received as much as 486 cable programs and 1,306 touchdown stations. It outlined:
- Building Prices: Regardless of delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic, new system spend rebounded in 2020 to $2.7 billion.
- Content material Suppliers Utilizing Capability: Content material suppliers’ worldwide bandwidth progress outpaced that of all different clients. By 2017, content material suppliers had surpassed web spine suppliers as the biggest customers of worldwide capability.
- Fiber Pairs: Within the Atlantic, rising demand necessities are resulting in a considerable enhance within the fiber pair rely per cable.
2023 | Windrose Networks
What has dashing beauty and depicts 529 cable programs and 1,444 landings? The 2023 Submarine Cable Map.
Trying intently, you will discover sea monsters, ornate compass roses, and windrose networks woven in. Traditionally, a windrose community was a vital navigational help discovered on portolan charts and different early nautical schematics used in the course of the medieval age and the Age of Exploration.
2024 | A Map Safari
We added a safari theme to our map repertoire with the 2024 Submarine Cable Map. This good-looking version explored world connectivity from the ocean to the cloud, depicting 559 cable programs and 1,636 touchdown stations.
On the backside of the map, you’ll discover extra insights on cable development, cable investments, and cloud infrastructure.
2025 | Going Darkish
This futuristic, high-contrast 2025 design depicts 597 cable programs and 1,712 landings. For these holding rating, that is 38 extra cable programs and 76 extra landings than the 2024 version.
On the backside of this map, we zero in on Networks of the Future with potential capability, used capability, and cable deployment stats for six main submarine cable routes: Trans-Pacific, U.S.–Latin America, Trans-Atlantic, Europe–Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe–Asia by way of Egypt, and Intra-Asia.
