What is Submarine Cable Map?
Submarine Cable Map is an interactive map of the fibre optic cables that run along the sea floor and carry almost all international internet traffic. It is made by TeleGeography, a telecoms research firm, and shows every known cable system as a line between its landing stations. Click a cable and you get its name, length, owners, the year it entered service and every place it comes ashore.
The map is the one people share whenever a cable is cut, a new one is announced or someone realises that a chat with a friend abroad travels through a cable the width of a garden hose. Press and researchers use it as a reference, and TeleGeography updates it as systems are built and retired.
Main Features
- Every cable system: hundreds of active and planned cables drawn on a world map.
- Cable details: owners, length, landing points and the ready-for-service year.
- Landing stations: click a coastal point to see which cables arrive there.
- Search and filter: find a cable or a country, or show only cables from a given year.
- Free data: the underlying data is published openly for reuse.
- Printed editions: TeleGeography also designs a yearly poster version of the map.
How to Get Started with Submarine Cable Map
- Open submarinecablemap.com; the map loads with no sign-up.
- Zoom to your coast and click a landing station to see its cables.
- Click a cable line to read who owns it and where it goes.
- Use the search box to look up a specific cable or country.
- Try the year filter to watch the network grow over time.
Submarine Cable Map Pricing
The map is free, with no account and no ads, and the data behind it is published openly. TeleGeography sells research and the printed map separately, but the website costs nothing.
Who Should Use It?
- Anyone curious how a message to another continent actually travels.
- Students and teachers explaining how the internet is built.
- Journalists and researchers checking who owns a cable in the news.
- Map lovers who like to lose an hour clicking around a coastline.
Submarine Cable Map Alternatives
- Flightradar24: every plane in the sky, live.
- MarineTraffic: the ships at sea, including cable-laying vessels.
- Notable People: another map that rewards slow exploring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Submarine Cable Map free?
Yes. The interactive map is free to use without an account, and the data is openly published. TeleGeography makes its money from research reports and printed maps.
How many undersea cables are there?
Several hundred active systems, with more planned every year. The map shows them all, including cables that are announced but not yet laid.
Is the data on Submarine Cable Map accurate?
It is the reference most news reports cite. TeleGeography maintains it from operator announcements and its own research, and corrects it when owners report changes.