Submarine Cables

Submarine cables offer many advantages for long-distance telecommunication processes, such as between islands and countries. However, there are of course many disadvantages, starting with the high installation costs, which are proportional to the advanced materials and equipment needed to withstand the risks of all kinds of unpredictable undersea conditions. The advantages, disadvantages, and further discussion of submarine cables are explained in the following sections. 

Indonesia is known as an archipelagic country, with about 17,504 islands, inhabited and uninhabited. Indonesian waters, home to thousands of marine species, are a destination for fishermen and tourists alike because of their beauty. As time goes by and the human population fills the earth, more and more minds are full of ideas and produce innovations in transmission media other than land and air, namely submarine cables (Submarine Cables). 

Inspection of Indonesia's submarine cables, which serve as a toll road for internet networks stretching across waters from Asia to America, has its own benefits for society. The world's first submarine cable was laid by the brothers Jacob and John Watkins Brett in August 1850, serving as a telegraph link across the English Channel, which separates England and France. Submarine cables use fiber optic technology, which makes network connections and signals work more efficiently in carrying digital data, telephone, internet, and personal data. 

The following are government regulations on the protection and security of undersea communication systems, sourced from Minister of Transportation Decree No. 94 of 1999. 

Before a submarine cable is laid, a lot of further surveys are needed on cable route planning in the area. Several issues that need attention relate to the impact on the surrounding environment, such as coral reefs, marine flora and fauna, the physical properties of seawater, offshore activities, and others.

Advantages of Undersea Fiber Optic Cables 

1. The fiber optic used is wide enough to carry a considerable amount of information. 

2. Today, fiber optic cables are equipped with high speed. This enables the undersea network to anticipate when there is noise.

3. Undersea fiber optics has its own advantages, as the cable is resistant to toxic gases, chemicals, and water.

Disadvantages of Undersea Fiber Optic Cables 

1. Because it has excellent advantages, of course it is proportional to the cost that must be incurred. Installing fiber optic cables requires high costs, starting with the equipment. 

2. In use, undersea fiber optic communication must be able to convert electrical data to light, and back again. 

3. Special equipment must be used. 

4. When damage is found during an inspection, it is mandatory to involve officers who are experts in the field, and it must not be done carelessly. 

5. The marine ecosystem is affected and damaged. 

That is a brief and simple explanation of the understanding of submarine cable. With its many advantages, but also disadvantages behind them, it remains the choice of all countries in the world to connect with one another across continents, except Antarctica. Many things must still be considered in its installation, and it requires a great deal of effort from all fields. This is done so that the process of sending and receiving data through communication can run well, in order to support the needs and capabilities of human resources. 

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Written by Natalia.