TAT-8: the pioneering transatlantic fibre-optic cable is being recycled

Laid in the late 1980s, the TAT-8 transatlantic cable represented a watershed moment in telecommunications history. More than three decades after carrying the first fibre-optic data between Europe and the United States, this trailblazing infrastructure is now being brought up from the deep for recycling.

Off the coast of Portugal, a chapter in the history of the internet is gradually being removed from the seabed. The MV Maasvliet, chartered by Subsea Environmental Services, is currently recovering TAT-8, widely regarded as the first fibre-optic transatlantic cable. Installed on 14 December 1988 by AT&T, British Telecom and France Telecom, the system transformed communications by replacing copper with light pulses capable of carrying far greater volumes of data.

TAT-8, the first fibre-optic transatlantic cable

At the time, it seemed like science fiction. From New York, writer Isaac Asimov spoke by videoconference to audiences gathered in Paris and London, hailing “an inaugural voyage across the sea on a beam of light”. The symbolism was powerful: for the first time, the Atlantic had been crossed by a cable designed for fibre optics.

Its impact was immediate. Reaching capacity in under 18 months, TAT-8 proved the immense potential of the technology and paved the way for the thousands of modern cables that now make up the invisible backbone of the global network.

This technological relic did not, however, withstand the passage of time unscathed. Taken out of operation in 2002 after a fault proved too expensive to fix, the cable is now being raised to the surface.

A strategic operation

Recovering a cable laid several kilometres beneath the surface is, naturally, no straightforward task. Engineers must pinpoint every section, catch the line using grapnels, then slowly haul it aboard. It is wound manually on the vessel to prevent damage to its glass fibres. Storms and heavy swells make the operation even more difficult: during this mission, the ship has already had to alter its course because of an early cyclone season.

The work also carries significant strategic importance. Despite their fibre-optic technology, these installations still contain substantial quantities of high-quality copper, a metal the International Energy Agency expects could face shortages within the next decade. The steel will be reused, while the polyethylene sheath will be converted into recycled plastic.

Recovering undersea cables for future networks

It is worth remembering that cables carry almost all intercontinental traffic. Although satellites are becoming more widespread, they remain well behind them in both capacity and reliability for large-scale data transfers. TAT-8 is only one example: of the roughly 2 million kilometres of cables taken out of service worldwide, most still lie on the ocean floor. Recovering them creates room for new lines, ready to support an internet with ever-growing demand for bandwidth.