Undersea Cable Map Australia. I'm about to lay some cable too. This fascinating, interactive map shows the history behind each cable, and shows all the connections between countries.
Retrofitting undersea cables with this new capability could give scientists the ability to continuously monitor high-risk zones that were previously hard to reach. This is an interactive map so you can zoom-in or click on any particular colored cable to know about their respective owners. For a history of African undersea cables, have a look at animated gif history.
The leaders of Australia, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have marked the start of a project to lay an undersea internet cable between the three countries amid criticism from China that Australia is trying to contain its influence in the region.
Today, Australia considers its submarine cable system to be "vital to the national economy," and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has created zones to protect cables to restrict activities that could.
Clearly, a protection strategy for undersea cables cannot depend solely on military action. James Bamford covers how various intelligence organizations (including the NSA). are (or are not) able to harvest information from the cables in his excellent book The Shadow Factory. For a history of African undersea cables, have a look at animated gif history.