Click here to read the map Not surprisingly, satellite projects target the consumer market while submarine networks address the needs of carriers and service providers. In short, satellites provide small roads that lead to submarine networks' information superhighways. Given the potential of submarine cable networks to meet the increasing global demand for network capacity, their future looks bright. However, the explosion in Internet usage and continued demand for bandwidth are combining to change the very structure of the submarine cable industry. If both suppliers and network operators realize this now, then they are in for a very lucrative future.
Most people think cyberspace is in outer space.
Alcatel is surfing on the Internet wave. Thanks to its expertise in all facets of telecommunications and cables, Alcatel is the only supplier capable of offering integrated solutions combining submarine networks with terrestrial, radio and satellite systems. And its global reach, encompassing cable manufacturing facilities in Australia, France, and the U.S., gives it an edge for supplying today's huge projects. Ever pushing technological limits, last November Alcatel set a record by demonstrating the possibility of transmitting more than 15 million simultaneous voice circuits on a four-fiber pair system of transoceanic length. Alcatel has also been fast to adapt to the changing business environment brought on by the arrival of new operators.