msb@sq.com (Mark Brader) (11/15/90)
Recent articles have referred to the TAT-8 transatlantic cable, and the TAT-9 cable under construction. Do these numbers imply that there are exactly eight transatlantic cables, or possibly fewer if some older ones have been retired? Or are there other namespaces besides TAT-n? Roughly how many transoceanic cables are there under all the oceans of the world? Roughly what fraction of calls use them rather than satellites? (Or rather, what fraction of half-calls, since it was said recently that a call can be satellite one way, cable one way.) Curiously, Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com
johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine) (11/21/90)
In article <68863@bu.edu.bu.edu> you write: >Recent articles have referred to the TAT-8 transatlantic cable, and >the TAT-9 cable under construction. Do these numbers imply that there >are exactly eight transatlantic cables, or possibly fewer if some >older ones have been retired? That is indeed the case. TAT-1 was only laid in 1956. Transatlantic telephone service started in 1927, but until 1956 used SSB radio. The first few cables have certainly been retired. The early cables carried a few dozen voice circuits, while TAT-8 has 40,000 and TAT-9, to be placed in service next year (and which I observed under construction at its western terminus last month) 80,000. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl