In article , says...
Marc 182 wrote:

Multi-jump communications would create unacceptable delay in a voice
conversation due to the speed of light and the distance to the
satellites. Even a single jump causes a noticeable and annoying delay.
That's why trans-Atlantic/Pacific cables remain popular.

Cables are popular because they're *cheaper* than satellites
(per unit of delivered bandwidth) what with the incredible advances
in fiber optics.

Ok, true enough. But the issue of delay still remains. A single hop
conversation is possible but annoying. A multi-hop conversation would be
impossible to hold in a natural way.

Marc