Skip to main content
The Keyword

Ask a Techspert: What’s a subsea cable?

Photograph of a yellow object with the words "Google" on it. It's laying on the sand of a beach, with the water just behind it.
The start of Curie, a subsea cable, on land.

A true inside look at subsea cables: On the left, a piece of the Curie subsea cable showing the additional steel armoring for protection close to the beach landing. On the right, a cross-sectional view of a typical deep water subsea cable showing the optical fibers, copper sheath, and steel wires for protection.

Two photographs next to each other, the first showing a cable with outer protection surrounding it. The second photograph shows a stripped cable with copper wires and optical fibers inside.

Let’s stay in touch. Get the latest news from Google in your inbox.

Subscribe