If the internet is primarily dependent on cables that run through oceans connecting different countries and continents. During a war, anyone can cut off a country’s access to the internet. Are there any backup or mitigant in place to avoid this? What happens if you cut the cable?
In: Technology
In modern times, there are backups to the intercontinental cabling, with satellite based internet able to serve when the cables get cut off, plus there are more than just the one set of cables connecting everything.
Even without those cables or a backup, the internet would work just fine, you just wouldn’t be able to access other countries’ networks. It would splinter the internet into fragments, with China’s Internet unable to connect to America’s Internet, which in turn would be unable to connect to Europe.
But Microsoft could build a server farm in America and allow people to play their XBOX just fine.
As for why they use these cables instead of satellites normally, it’s because the distances are greatly increased beaming the signal up into space to be bounced around the planet, and latency would be increased to an intolerable level, so satellite internet is currently limited in scope for remote areas, where sending cables and fiber optics are not feasible.
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