---
title: Do Submarine Cables Account For Over 99% of Intercontinental Data Traffic?
description: This statement is regularly quoted in the press with no source given. It’s time for some fact-checking.
---

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# [Do Submarine Cables Account For Over 99% of Intercontinental Data Traffic?](https://resources.telegeography.com/2023-mythbusting-part-3)

 Written by [Alan Mauldin](https://resources.telegeography.com/author/alan-mauldin) | May 4, 2023 12:04:00 PM

“Submarine cables account for over 99% of intercontinental data traffic” is regularly [quoted in the press](https://www.newsweek.com/undersea-cables-transport-99-percent-international-communications-319072) with no source given.

It’s time for some fact-checking.

## Getting to the Source

While digging into the origin of this myth, I was able to find one instance where a source was given. It was accredited to us, TeleGeography.

The citation linked to our [Submarine Cable FAQs page](https://www2.telegeography.com/submarine-cable-faqs-frequently-asked-questions), which states: “Statistics released by [U.S. Federal Communications Commission](https://www.fcc.gov/circuit-status-report) indicate that satellites account for just 0.37% of all U.S. international capacity.” 

We're only talking about U.S. international capacity here—not the total global capacity—and in relation to satellites.

I decided to go to the FCC’s website next.

Below, you’ll see a screenshot from the FCC’s [Circuit Status Report page](https://www.fcc.gov/circuit-status-report) and a list of the reports that they offer.

The most recent data is for 2013, released in 2015. It’s almost 10 years old now; not a great source.

There’s no new data because the FCC changed the reporting requirement and satellite operators don’t have to report their circuits anymore. So that’s a dead-end for us, unfortunately.

## Other Ways To Test This Myth

 

## The Conclusion

So, do submarine cables account for over 99% of intercontinental data traffic?

We can confirm that this is true. However, we can’t do precise calculations without data for intercontinental satellite traffic.

For more like this, [download our latest mythbusters presentation slides](https://www2.telegeography.com/suboptic-2023?__hstc=45788219.c776bc4c9c506cce1c24574a3bf64ea8.1747829745172.1747829745172.1747829745172.1&__hssc=45788219.1.1747829745172&__hsfp=4009502119).

 

[View full post](https://resources.telegeography.com/2023-mythbusting-part-3)

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