We're in deep water without more cable surgeons

Times

17-07-2025

U ndersea cables are the spine of modern life. Imagine spending a day without being able to access anything digitally and you'll see why. These cables require a specialist workforce to install and repair them, and if you haven't heard of these workers it's because they do their jobs well. But this little known profession is struggling to replenish its ageing ranks. That should worry the rest of us.
Nearly 600 (571, to be precise) data cables on the world's seabeds power 21st-century life, and another 81 are being planned. Power cables, too, line the seafloor. That's a lot of cable, and a whole lot more than when the internet was young.
Three decades ago, Steven Jones followed his father into subsea cable-laying. 'It was a bit like a dead person's deal: you had to wait for someone to retire to get a job,' he told me. 'But then the field began expanding rapidly.' Rolling out cables (as thick as a thumb for data, or a forearm for power) on hundreds of miles of seabed along a detailed path is a precision job. Closer to shore, the cables have to be neatly buried. The job requires concentration and stamina, and it brings extraordinary rewards. 'You're involved in something physical and tangible,' Jones said. 'You're really making a mark.' Jones practically helped turn on some countries' digital switch. When he moved from laying to repairs, it was a lot busier than in his father's day. Back then, there were so few cables that weeks could go by without a call-up.