Beneath oceans lie thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cables connecting continents, carrying over 95% of international data traffic. Light pulses move through them at nearly the speed of light, transmitting everything from WhatsApp messages to financial trades. Big tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft have invested heavily in these undersea cables to ensure speed and redundancy.
Once your data crosses the ocean, it reaches massive data centers—warehouses filled with servers storing, computing, and delivering content. This is what people refer to as the “cloud,” and contrary to the name, the cloud isn’t some magical fluffy white thing floating above us. It’s real, tangible, and most importantly, power-hungry. Companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud run these centers, distributing your data across servers so it’s always available, even if one part of the system fails.
The response to get to you after the request reaches the server, e.g, a webpage or a video, it travels the reverse path, i.e, from a cloud server, through various routers and networks, across cables and satellites, into your ISP’s infrastructure, and finally to your device, rendering it on your screen. This process, as complicated as it may seem, takes milliseconds.
That all this happens without you noticing is the magic of the internet. But it’s a fragile system too, vulnerable to cyberattacks, cable damage, or even political interference. It requires constant upgrades, maintenance, and innovation.
As we move into an era of AI, smart devices, and 6G, the strain on internet infrastructure is only increasing. Understanding how it all works helps us appreciate the engineering marvel we often take for granted. From cables to clouds, the internet is not just a tool but a global organism with its heart pumping data 24/7.
