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A Submarine Cable System is comprised of a cable laid beneath the water that carries telecommunication transmission signals between two or more cable landing stations containing equipment that converts submarine cable signals to terrestrial signals. The Wet Segment of the Submarine Cable System makes landfall at the Beach Manhole (BMH) or beach joint that, in turn, connects to the Dry Segment and Submarine Cable Landing Stations (CLS).
The Wet Segment lies between Beach Manholes, including submarine cables, repeaters, branching units. While the Dry Segment includes a short cable from a Beach Manhole to a Submarine Cable Landing Station (CLS) and system components installed in the CLS.
A Submarine Cable Landing Station (CLS) is a dry land facility where submarine cables terminate traffic, allowing voice, data, and internet to be transmitted to terrestrial or local networks. At the terminal, equipment such as Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE), converts cable signals to terrestrial signals allowing the cable to interconnect to terrestrial facilities.
Traditionally, a CLS and a Data Center where a Point of Presence (PoP) is located are different facilities, interconnected through a Backhaul system. In this case, the CLS houses SLTE, PFE (Power Feeding Equipment), Backhaul terminals and other network components, as shown in the following figure.
Nowadays, Cable Landing Station (CLS) and Data Center (PoP) are typically merged. CLS becomes part of a data center, or CLS within a Data Center. It is now more popular for a submarine cable system to terminate at a carrier-neutral data center, with both SLTE and PFE housing at a CLS within a Data Center.
When Open Cable structure becomes popular, the functionality of a Cable Landing Station (CLS) is typically reduced, to house only the PFE and the Open Cable Interface of a submarine cable system, with SLTEs housing in a data center or multiple data centers, as shown in the following figure.
Multiple submarine cable systems may share the same cable landing station.
Multiple types of submarine cables may be used in a submarine cable system, subject to depth of the seabed where the cable lies.
The double armored submarine cable is used at the shore-end, terminated at the beach manhole at the cable landing site, and is interconnected with much lighter land cable going onward to the cable landing station.
In most of the jurisdictions worldwide, the construction, land and operation of a submarine cable system is strictly regulated. Submarine Cable Landing License and other license/permits are required prior to lay and land a submarine cable within a territory waters.
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