how does the internet get over the english channel?

Question

ie to america, etc ... is it cables or satellite???

Answer 1

Via submarine cables primarily. Fibre optic cables are laid along the sea bed to join countries.

You can see what happens when these links fail from the source news article below. This quote is also from that article:

"Even with the advent of satellite-based communications systems, the bulk of communications between the US and Europe still depend on a series of underwater cables laboriously laid across the Atlantic."

As far as I can ascertain, because the Internet is primarily built on most countries existing telephone infrastructures, the cables across the Atlantic are simply transatlantic telephone cables (see second source article below). As you can see from that second source article there are now many cables providing ever-increasing bandwidth and redundancy between multiple locations on both sides of the ocean.

I don't think it's fair to assume that ALL Internet traffic comes and goes via these means, because I'm sure there are some private connections (government and companies) that use satellites. But as far as I'm aware, satellite bandwidth can't match that of the directly connected fibre optic networks that are connected under the sea.

I think this answers your question. In respect of the UK to other European countries, the aforementioned TAT-14 cable in the first article below connects more than just the US to the UK. This continues to Denmark, The Netherlands, Germany and France also.

Answer 2

You can't get a direct internet connection to America via the English Channel (the bit of water between England and France), however you can get an internet connection accross the English Channel to France via subsea cables and via satelite.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The answer is both it depends on the location of the request and the destination + bandwidth and who your ISP is.

There are lots of variables but in the end its either a cable or a satellite.

Answer 5

Hi >
Shan't get boring here, but.
Internal to the system, it is all down copper wires, then up to a satelite relay, back down to earth, and then via more copper cables to someone at the other side of the planet.
Good stuff.
Bob

Answer 6

Satellite - there's enough cables running through our streets!!! (If there were cables under the sea, don't you think maybe a shark would've bitten through them?).

Answer 7

They laid a huge undersea fibre-optic cable under the atlantic years ago.

Answer 8

Undersea cables.

Answer 9

Mostly through cables, big fat fibre optics

Answer 10

The same as it gets to us... over a telephone line.