Big Tech and Undersea Cables: Who Controls Them?
Big tech companies own or co-own some undersea cables, but they do not control the global cable network by themselves. The system is a mix of privately owned cables, telecom-company partnerships, consortia, and publicly regulated landing points, with control varying from one route to another.
Why undersea cables matter
Submarine fiber-optic cables carry the great majority of international internet traffic, along with private network data, phone calls, and other communications. They connect continents and islands across oceans, often landing at specialized coastal stations that link the cable to terrestrial networks. Satellites are important for some remote connections and backup services, but they do not replace the high capacity and low latency of cables on busy intercontinental routes.
Calling this infrastructure “the internet’s backbone” is useful, but it can create a misleading picture of one centrally managed system. There are many separate cables, owned and operated under different arrangements. Traffic can be routed across multiple networks, and a cable is only one part of a longer path that includes landing stations, data centers, and inland fiber routes.
Who owns the cables?
Ownership has traditionally been shared among telecommunications carriers. Several companies might fund a project together and receive capacity rights, or they may own portions of the cable system. This consortium model spreads large construction costs and gives participating carriers connections they can use or sell.
In recent years, major cloud and technology companies have also become prominent investors and owners. Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon have announced or participated in cable projects, sometimes as sole owners and sometimes alongside telecom operators or other partners. Their motivations include connecting their data centers, improving the capacity and resilience of their global services, and reducing reliance on capacity purchased from other networks.
Ownership is not a single yes-or-no category. A company may own a cable outright, hold a share of a consortium, lease capacity, or buy capacity from another operator. The arrangements can differ along one route and change over time. A company that uses a cable heavily does not necessarily own it, and owning a cable does not mean owning every network that traffic crosses.
How a cable project works
A new system typically requires planning among investors, network operators, equipment suppliers, and governments whose territories or coastlines are involved. The cable is laid on the seabed, with protective measures used where appropriate, and connects to stations on land. From there, terrestrial networks carry data onward to users and data centers.
- Planning and financing: Owners decide the route, capacity, landing locations, and commercial structure. A consortium may divide costs and capacity among members.
- Permits and landings: Projects need approvals for landing stations and for work in relevant waters. The details depend on the countries and jurisdictions involved.
- Construction and operation: Specialized vessels install the cable. Operators monitor performance, coordinate repairs, and manage capacity.
- Network connections: A cable’s landing station connects to terrestrial networks. Customers still need those onward connections to reach a particular service.
Building a route is a long-term infrastructure decision, not simply a matter of laying fiber between two points. The route must be technically workable, commercially justified, and acceptable to the countries involved.
What “control” means—and what it does not
Control can mean several different things: ownership of the physical cable, authority to allocate its capacity, operation of the landing station, or control over the networks that carry traffic after it reaches land. These roles may belong to different organizations. A cable owner can manage capacity on its system, but cannot automatically direct all data traveling through the wider internet.
Nor does a company’s cable ownership mean it can freely inspect or read all traffic. Fiber carries optical signals; access to a cable’s infrastructure is not the same as access to readable messages. Encryption can protect data in transit, though the protection depends on the services and connections being used. Cable ownership is a meaningful infrastructure and business advantage, not proof that an owner can see every user’s communications.
Technology companies can influence the market by building routes that serve their own networks and by becoming large buyers of capacity. But telecom carriers, internet service providers, data-center operators, governments, and other network owners remain essential. Control of a cable is not control of the whole internet.
Risks, resilience, and regulation
Undersea cables can be damaged by anchors, fishing activity, natural events, or other causes. A break may interrupt service or make traffic take a longer route, but it does not necessarily disconnect an entire country: networks may reroute traffic over other cables, if spare capacity and alternative paths are available. Repair requires specialized ships and can take time, especially when weather, location, or permissions complicate access.
Redundancy matters. Network operators and cable investors can reduce reliance on a single route by using diverse cables and landing points. However, two apparently separate routes may share a vulnerable stretch, landing station, or terrestrial link, so resilience depends on the whole path rather than just the number of cables.
Governments may regulate landing facilities, permits, security reviews, and access to national networks. International waters and national jurisdictions also make the legal and operational picture complex. The rules are not uniform worldwide, and a project’s ownership does not exempt it from the relevant approvals where it lands or operates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do big tech companies own undersea cables?
Yes. Major technology and cloud companies own or co-own some systems, while other cables belong to telecom carriers, consortia, or other investors. Their involvement is significant but does not amount to ownership of the entire cable network.
Does Google or another tech company control the internet through cables?
No. A company may control or use capacity on particular routes, but internet traffic also depends on many independent networks, service providers, data centers, and connections. Cable ownership alone does not confer control over the whole internet.
Can a cable owner read the data passing through its cable?
Ownership does not automatically give an owner readable access to every communication. Data may be encrypted, and cable infrastructure is only one segment of a connection. What can be accessed depends on the technology and network arrangements involved.
What happens when an undersea cable breaks?
Operators may reroute traffic over other available routes, which can preserve service but sometimes add congestion or delay. If alternatives are limited, users may experience outages or degraded connections until repairs are completed.
Are undersea cables more important than satellites?
For high-volume intercontinental communications, cables carry most international data traffic and offer advantages in capacity and latency. Satellites serve valuable roles, including reaching places without practical cable links, but the two technologies have different uses.
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