Optical transmission
How information is encoded on light: wavelengths, modulation formats, coherent detection and spectral efficiency.
- Wavelength-division multiplexing
- C-band and L-band
- Coherent transceivers
- Spectral efficiency
Technology
Seven disciplines, one system.
Every submarine cable is a negotiation between optics, electricity, mechanics, the ocean and economics. Change one and the others respond.
Fibre architectures
From conventional single-mode fibre to higher fibre counts and multicore fibres — the spatial dimension of capacity.
- Fibre pairs
- Spatial-division multiplexing
- Multicore fibre
- Fan-in / fan-out
Amplification & repeaters
Why optical power must be restored along the route, and why every amplifier also adds noise.
- Attenuation
- Erbium-doped amplifiers
- Pump sharing
- Noise accumulation
Electrical power
Shore-based power feeding, conductor resistance and the power budget that bounds subsea equipment.
- Power-feeding equipment
- Constant-current feeding
- Conductor resistance
- Power budgets
Cable engineering
Cable construction, armouring, dimensions and the manufacturing realities of putting more fibres in the sea.
- Cable structure
- Armour types
- Diameter and weight
- Qualification
Marine operations
Route surveys, cable ships, installation, burial and the repair systems that keep networks running.
- Route survey
- Installation
- Burial and protection
- Repair
Network architecture
Landing stations, branching units, backhaul, route diversity and how subsea links fit the wider internet.
- Landing stations
- Branching units
- Backhaul
- Route diversity
Detailed articles for each topic — with sources, assumptions and difficulty levels — are in preparation.