An interactive model of how a submarine cable sells transcontinental capacity — and how fill (capacity sold), price per Gbps and design capacity convert into annual revenue, EBITDA and asset value for an investor.
A submarine cable laid across an ocean carries data between continents on fibre pairs. The operator sells that capacity — long-term IRUs to anchor tenants plus shorter leases & services. The cable costs the same to run (a standing fleet of repair ships) whether it's full or empty, so the economics turn on how much capacity is sold, the price per Gbps, and the cable's design capacity — lighting more fibre drops almost straight to EBITDA.
Year-1 financials flow live from the simulation above: revenue £0 and EBITDA £0 p.a. Set your deal terms below — the unlevered IRR (asset return) and levered IRR (return to equity, after debt) recompute instantly.
Illustrative model. Represents a long-haul submarine cable system with a design capacity (Tbps) of which a share is sold/lit. Revenue = capacity sold × price per Gbps, split into long-term IRU/anchor contracts and shorter leases & services. Operating costs are dominated by fixed marine maintenance (standing repair-ship agreements), landing stations, network operations, restoration and insurance — so margins swing hard with how full the cable is (it can be loss-making when lightly sold). EBITDA = revenue − operating costs; excludes the upfront build/lay capex. The investment case is a simplified DCF. For illustration only — not investment advice, and not any specific asset.