ANNIVERSARY
COMMENTS ON DR. PAUL POLISHUK’S 2001 ARTICLE “THE STATE OF SUBMARINE FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS IN THE AMERICAS” BY CLIFFORD R. HOLLIDAY AND DR. HUI PAN
D
r. Paul Polishuk was a mentor, boss, and, most of all, a good friend to both of us for many years. These comments are based on an article he wrote in 2001 in the premier issue of Submarine Telecoms Forum Magazine and are a tribute to him. He served his country for many years in senior defense technology roles and became one of the brightest stars in the developing telecommunications universe. It was an adventure and a pleasure working with him.
HISTORY OF SUBMARINE CABLES
The subject of submarine cables is fascinating because it is probably the oldest communications technology that still represents a significant portion of today’s Internet. Submarine cable technology saw its first application before the Civil War. A transatlantic cable was in operation three years before the first transcontinental telegraph (that replaced the Pony Express) was working. On August 16, 1858, Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan exchanged telegrams on the new cable. It took a ‘mere’ 17 hours and 40 minutes to transmit the brief correspondence (fewer than 100 words in total). This still represented the fastest message ever sent between Washington and London. Somewhat anti-climactically, the achievement was short-lived, with the cable failing only a few weeks later. Unfortunately, this first trans-Atlantic cable never worked very well and eventually destroyed itself
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when one of its inventors tried to raise the voltage (there were no repeaters on these early cables) to increase the speed. Disastrously, this voltage increase resulted in the cable shorting itself out in the ocean. But while it would take another six years for it to be replaced, the expedition marked the first step in a communications revolution that would ultimately lead to the creation of the Internet. The early advocates and developers