Paul F. Dietz wrote:
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.

Yeah. In general, it's always been true that what could be
put on a landline was put on a landline, telecommunications-wise.
The old transoceanic cables didn't have the performance to do
high bandwidth multichannel voice. Comsats took off as the
first good option for transmitting multiple voice channels
across oceans. They then caught on doing TV broadcast,
though that had been a feature on the first experimental
comsat that flew.

Both wire cable and fiber optic cables undersea started
to compete with comsats and are taking increasing quantities
of the market there. They're a lot cheaper now than
satellites are, for major concentrations of traffic.
And as soon as the fiber optic cables were proved out,
the satellite market for transoceanic voice started to
die out slowly. But not entirely. There aren't enough
cables in a lot of places, and both the cables and the
satellites break sometimes, so they end up backing each
other up to a large degree.

Orbital relay works better for broadcast purposes and
for hitting lots of little islands out in an ocean.
And always will.


-george william herbert