TAT-8, First Fiber-Optic Transatlantic Cable Recovered
6000 Km of History: The First Fiber Optic Transatlantic Cable Is Lifted From the Ocean
By Dmytro Dzhuhalyk, Mezha
February 25, 2026
Engineers lift the historic TAT-8 transatlantic cable from the ocean floor. It was the first fiber-optic system to be laid between the United States, the United Kingdom, and France back in 1988. According to TechSpot, it used 1.3-micrometer single-mode fiber and optoelectronic repeaters operating at speeds of about 280 Mbps.
This cable is almost 6,000 kilometers long and has repeaters placed every few dozen kilometers, enclosed in long, hermetically sealed casings that have been tested at a depth of about 8,000 meters.
The TAT-8 architecture, which uses pairs of glass fibers that carry light pulses and are periodically amplified inside steel housings, set the template for almost all subsequent underwater communication systems.
TAT-8 replaced copper lines, revolutionizing global communications. There was also a myth about sharks damaging submarine cables. This was an exaggeration, but it led to the introduction of a protective system – a thin metal layer known as fish-bite protection.
The cable is currently being pulled from the ocean floor by special diesel-powered vessels with hook-type devices. In addition to it, all the additional equipment, including repeaters, fish-bite protection and copper conductors, is also being lifted. This project is being carried out by Subsea Environmental Services, one of the few companies in the world that specializes in the disposal of submarine cables.
All collected equipment is separated into materials – glass, copper, steel and electronics. After that, they are sent to modern factories, where they are converted into secondary raw materials for new products.
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