TeleGeography Explains the Internet

616: All About Network Resiliency | Tony O’Sullivan

Tony O’Sullivan, CEO of RETN, joins Greg to discuss network resiliency.

They address how providers can build networks that withstand outages, whether from someone who forgot to call the utility company or an anchor dragging on the seafloor.

The episode covers:

• Why it's crucial to have a transparent provider willing to share information about their network when they can, including the physical locations of fiber routes and who their upstream providers are.
• The importance of planning routes to avoid single points of failure. Tony makes the case for terrestrial networks that can serve as alternatives to some submarine cable routes, and getting the best mix of the two options.
• Insights on the future of network automation, emphasizing that it's not just about instant provisioning, but also providing customers with the information they need to make educated purchasing decisions.

Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/
Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

Submarine Cable Sensing | Mark Englund

In our final episode of this special podcast series about undersea cables, we're exploring the rapidly evolving technology of using fiber optic cables as remote sensors.

We welcome Mark Englund, CEO of Fibersense. Mark explains the fascinating world of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), and how this emerging technology is turning existing fiber optic cables into sentient, continuous sensors. We explore:

• How this is transforming the cable industry, providing unparalleled real-time protection by detecting anchors and fishing gear and other potential threats.
• How Fibersense uses machine learning to cut through the ocean's "cacophony" and make the data actionable for cable operators.
• Finally, we spend a little time looking beyond the subsea, exploring the immense potential of DAS for terrestrial fiber in applications like protection against excavators, water leak detection in city infrastructure, and even a new vision for traffic safety and autonomous.

 

Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/
Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

615: Wait But Why...Do We Use the Internet Like That?

Today's bonus podcast welcomes Tim Urban, author of the blog Wait But Why (https://waitbutwhy.com/) and the book "What's Our Problem?"

For a change of pace, this episode focuses on what happens *on* the consumer internet, not just the underlying technology and business of the web.

You'll quickly see that Tim is an astute observer of human trends, with a wealth of insight on how the internet has complicated communication and contributed to humans' tendency to fall into tribalism.

Host Greg Bryan relates these insights to the structure of the global telecom industry as the pair considers the breadth of human history and how our brains, in some ways, are ill-equipped to handle the environment in which we find ourselves in the 21st century.

This discussion covers:

• The internet's role in the evolution of human communication, and context for this current moment of memes, sharing, liking, subscribing, and, in general, a culture of being terminally online.
• Tim's forthcoming book, which attempts to tell the story of everything from the Big Bang to the end of the universe. (Don't worry if that sounds like a big topic; the pair focuses on the section about AI.)
• Where AI will go from here? The conversation ties in how the internet is the physical backbone for this new "synthetic brain" that we are building, and what that might mean.

Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/
Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

Submarine Cable Routing | James Porter

Where do operators physically place their submarine cables, and why does that matter?

Even among those familiar with the undersea cable market, many don't give much thought to where precisely the cables lie on the seafloor and what factors determine this geography.

Today's guest knows a thing or two about how it gets done. We welcome James Porter, Cable Route Engineer at Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN).

James spends his days studying maps to route submarine cables, ensuring ease of maintenance and compliance with guidelines. He joins Greg to discuss the challenges of seabed congestion, particularly in deep-water areas where new cables must be laid at a safe distance from existing ones to ensure they can be repaired in the future.

The pair also discuss:

• The role of the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) and its recommendations for planning new cables to avoid impacting existing systems.
• The complexities of geopolitics and physical geography, which often restrict cable routes and force them into congested choke points.
• The critical need for better communication and data sharing among industry players to more efficiently and safely manage the crowded seabed.

🎧 Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast

💻 TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/

📊 Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

 

The Faults in Our Cables | Alan Mauldin and Mike Constable

When submarine cables hit the mainstream media, it might be because something has gone wrong. Especially when faults lead to a bottleneck that slows down or, in rare cases, even stops internet traffic for some people.

Our guests today presented a paper at SubOptic 25 detailing their study on global submarine cable maintenance and recommendations for the industry.

Mike Constable, Principal at Infra-Analytics, and Alan Mauldin, Research Director here at TeleGeography, joined the pod to discuss their review of cable faults and the readiness of the industry to fix problems over the coming years.

 

🎧 Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast

💻 TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/

📊 Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research 

Sub Cable Security | Ferris Adi

Let's talk about keeping submarine cables secure.

Ferris Adi, Chief Information Security Officer at Trans Americas Fiber System (https://transamericasfiber.com/), joins to discuss specific threats to submarine cables and how best to build resiliency against them.

We also cover various regulatory and compliance issues that submarine cable operators face when landing in different countries, as well as geopolitical threats to cable systems.

🎧 Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast

💻 TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/

📊 Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research 

The Economics of Submarine Cables | Lane Burdette

We're kicking off a brand new mini-series all about *submarine cables.*

To start off the series, we couldn't think of a better guest than Senior Research Analyst Lane Burdette, an expert (and nerd) when it comes to cables. She and host Greg Bryan discuss the economics of submarine cables.

The conversation covers:

• A refresher on the cables themselves, and all of the components that go into building them and lighting them for data transmission service.
• The costs of these elements and how to construct the costs of building a sub cable.
• Who builds these cables and why, and then how cable builders make money on their investment through selling data transmission services, as well as how and why sub cable prices vary around the world.
• How supply and demand are likely to develop in this vast undersea market, and what Lane sees for the future of cable profitability.

🎧 Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast

💻 TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/

📊 Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

614: An FCC Commissioner Explains Spectrum Allocation and Broadband Expansion

Joining us today is FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington.

Commissioner Simington has served on the Commission since late 2020. He brings a diverse background to the role, including experience with the NTIA.

The Commissioner and Host Greg Bryan cover several key issues facing the FCC:

👉 Several issues surrounding spectrum allocation and use. We talk about how FWA and LEO fit in spectrum plans, CBRS, unlicensed spectrum, and, of course, a bit on spectrum auctions.

👉 BIL and broadband development and the role wireless can play in closing the digital divide.

👉 The FCC’s role in submarine cable development and the Commissioner's views on ensuring submarine cable security.

👉 The Cyber Trust Mark and the FCC’s role in securing the ever-expanding threat perimeter and the Commissioner's views on how to get OEMs invested in keeping users safe.

• Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
• TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/
• Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

 

613: Automate or Bust

We welcome Michael Martin, formerly a global network and security architect at McKinsey. 

Michael has extensive experience in the enterprise network space. We get his take on the industry's state of implementation of network automation among enterprises.

Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/
Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research

612: Lightyear Considers the State of Connectivity

Dennis Thankachan, Co-Founder and CEO of Lightyear (https://lightyear.ai/), is back on the pod.

We discuss Lightyear's State of Connectivity Report (https://lightyear.ai/ebooks/lightyears-state-of-connectivity-2025), which dovetails with the topics we research here at TeleGeography. It may be a perfect companion to our State of the Network effort. (https://www2.telegeography.com/download-state-of-the-network)

Podcast HQ: https://www2.telegeography.com/telegeography-explains-the-internet-podcast
TeleGeography Blog: https://blog.telegeography.com/
Our Research: https://www2.telegeography.com/en/our-research