Why Getting Closer to Deep Sea Cables Can Supercharge Your Global Connectivity

The infrastructure underpinning the remarkable transfer, availability, and access to information globally is made almost entirely of submarine telecommunications cables, fiber optic lines running hundreds or thousands of meters below the ocean surface. These deep-sea cables carry over 99% of intercontinental internet traffic, supporting everything from financial transactions to cloud-based applications.

In a time when seamless digital performance is a competitive necessity, getting physically closer to these deep-sea cable Points of Presence (PoPs) can give companies a powerful edge. But making that move comes with hidden complexities, especially on the import and compliance front.

What Are Deep Sea Cables and Why Are They So Important?

With more than 600 active undersea cables covering over 1.3 million kilometers (approx. 808 thousand miles) of the ocean floor, submarine cables are the backbone of global internet connectivity. Compared to satellites, these fiber optic systems offer higher capacity, lower latency, and more cost-effective, reliable connections.

Though satellites are helpful for edge connectivity, particularly in remote areas, they don’t carry a meaningful share of internet traffic due to limitations in bandwidth and latency. Subsea cables remain the dominant method of transferring large volumes of data.

Whether you’re a cloud platform, fintech firm, or enterprise software company, where your infrastructure connects to these cables can significantly impact latency, user experience, and business performance.

Why Getting Close to Submarine Cable Landing Stations Matters

For latency-sensitive businesses, physical proximity to a cable landing station means faster routing, lower jitter, and enhanced redundancy. But deploying infrastructure near these points involves more than finding a data center.

Key challenges include:

For companies unfamiliar with the import and compliance landscape, these obstacles can become costly bottlenecks.

How We Help You Navigate the Complexity of Import Compliance for Telecom Equipment

Telecom companies (telcos) play a critical role in managing the infrastructure that powers global communication. They typically own and maintain the physical lines that enable data transmission. Beyond just providing services, telcos are also responsible for the upkeep and upgrade of these systems to ensure they meet the ever-growing demands of connectivity. 

Navigating the import compliance requirements for telecom equipment can be a complex process, but with our expertise, telcos can streamline imports, stay compliant with regulations, and avoid costly delays while maintaining their critical infrastructure.

Simplifying Infrastructure Setup and Compliance Near Cable Landing Stations

At TecEx, we specialize in helping tech-forward companies set up infrastructure near cable landing stations, compliantly and efficiently. Our global import compliance services remove friction from your international expansion by providing:

Where the World Connects | Strategic PoPs to Watch

Deep-sea cables connect at various coastal hubs around the world. These cable landing stations, or Points of Presence (PoPs), are key locations for data transmission, and colocation near them can be transformative. In addition to improving network performance, these PoPs are also crucial for the growing demand for AI infrastructure, enabling faster data processing, low-latency access, and seamless integration for AI-driven applications.

Strategic locations include:

• Marseille, France – Gateway between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa
• Singapore – Asia’s main interconnect hub
• Mombasa, Kenya – A growing connectivity node for East Africa
• Virginia Beach, USA – A US entry point for transatlantic cables
• Chennai, India – Connecting South Asia to global networks

By colocating near these PoPs, businesses can reduce latency, increase redundancy, and improve delivery times to global customers. For AI applications, this means quicker access to real-time data, more efficient cloud computing, and enhanced processing capabilities, all critical for enterprises leveraging AI to scale and innovate.

Deep Sea Cables Impact | Moving Data, Moving Forward

Submarine cables don’t just move data. They move economies. For the United States, these cables enable connectivity to Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, as well as connectivity with the rest of the world. They underpin military operations, secure government communications, and power critical commercial functions.

Investments in this infrastructure are growing. As new cables are laid and bandwidth increases, proximity to this infrastructure becomes a strategic advantage—not just for speed, but for resilience and reach.

Risks Beneath the Surface | The Threats to Subsea Infrastructure

Despite their importance, undersea cables are vulnerable. Every year, 100 to 150 cables are cut, most often by accidental damage from fishing equipment or anchors. But increasingly, deliberate interference and sabotage, often linked to geopolitical tensions, pose significant risks.

Recent incidents highlight this growing threat:

These vulnerabilities have sparked calls for stronger protections, ranging from “cable protection zones” to new international laws banning sabotage.

While satellites can offer temporary rerouting during outages, they cannot replace subsea cables’ high-capacity role. A hybrid approach using both technologies may offer resilience, but cables will remain the core infrastructure.