Farewell to the first fiber-optic transatlantic cable, which made the Internet as we know it possible

The evolution of global telecommunications today is at a moment of symbolic closure. While public attention is often captured by the new low-Earth-orbit satellites, amid the Atlantic Ocean, specialized ships are pulling to the surface the remnants of an era that charted the course of modernity.

The TAT-8 system, the first transatlantic link to use fiber optics instead of copper, is removed from the seabed to be recycled, marking the end of a service that lasted decades.

Farewell TAT-8, the first fiber-transatlantic cable is about to be recycled

In the 1970s, intercontinental data transmission faced a technical barrier that seemed insurmountable. The copper cables, burdened by physical limits tied to signal attenuation, could not guarantee the necessary capacity to support the growing demand for communications.

At that time, US regulatory authorities pushed companies like AT&T to seek alternative solutions to compete with the then-promising satellite technology.

The answer came from the Bell Labs and their British partners, who developed a system spanning nearly 6,000 kilometers based on glass fiber pairs.

This infrastructure allowed transmitting light pulses at a speed of around 280 Mbit/s, supported by over one hundred optoelectronic repeaters distributed along the route. Sealed in robust steel enclosures designed to withstand abyssal pressures up to 8,000 meters deep, the devices regenerated the optical signal, guaranteeing its integrity from one shore to the other across the ocean.

The Shark Myth

During the experimental phase of the project, electrical insulation issues emerged that interrupted the power supply to the repeaters. Technical investigations uncovered an odd discovery: fragments of shark teeth embedded in the cable sheath.

Although initially it was hypothesized that predators were attracted by electromagnetic fields, subsequent tests showed that bites were probably the result of a random interaction with an unrelated object in the marine environment.

The incident nonetheless led to a significant structural improvement. Engineers added a protective steel layer between the polyethylene insulation and the fiber core, a modification that not only protected against bites but increased mechanical strength against abrasion and accidental damage on the seabed.

This design has become the construction standard for almost all submarine systems built subsequently.

The recovery and the new life of materials

Today, diesel-electric powered ships such as the Maasvliet operate with precision to recover these technological artifacts. Using extremely detailed historical maps that document every joint and repair carried out over the years, operators lower special flat hooks to the seabed to intercept the cable.

Once brought on deck, the material is sent to specialized dismantling centers, such as those operated by Mertech Marine in South Africa.

The recycling process enables the recovery of raw materials of the highest quality. The copper of the power conductors, already drawn and available in continuous lengths, represents a valuable resource in a global market that sees the supply of this metal becoming increasingly scarce.

Similarly, the polyethylene is reduced to pellets for the production of industrial plastics, while the repeater enclosures are processed separately.

Although technology has evolved toward much more complex transmission systems, the fundamental principles established by the TAT-8 remain the pillar on which the entire global network rests, confirming the superiority of fiber optics over satellite links in terms of capacity, latency and long-term durability.