Deep Earth Fiber to Revolutionize Internet Data Speeds
What if you could cut a hole through the earth to eliminate light delay? An impossible dream? New research reveals this could be attained within our lifetimes!
The conventional worldwide telecom math
Consider that the circumference of the earth is roughly 40,000km.1 Using conventional math, it takes light .133 seconds, or 133ms2 to circumnavigate, and for the original sender to receive feedback (i.e. ping time). What if you could instead slice through the earth with fiber optics? Since pi (~3.14) is the ratio of the circumference of a circle3 to its diameter, the distance there and back would be 2/3.14, or roughly 2/3rds. This lops off 1/3 of the ping time, getting it to under 100 ms. As Borat said, very nice!
Nice, but admittedly not earth-shattering. HOWEVER, the shortcut could be exponentially better than conventional math would indicate (read on to find out how). Potential benefits abound–e.g. with a greatly reduced ping, we might finally be able to name true intercontinental Starcraft champion4 or trade commodities even faster.
The crusty problem
While conventional science would call this task impossible per the Earth’s molten “core,” new research suggests that one would only need to drill into the Earth’s plate to approximately 30 kilometers to reach the other side. The technology to do so could be developed within 5 years with the proper resources.
Because of the physics involved, when fully penetrated to this depth the opposite side actually manifests itself as mirror image of where we re-side, accounting for the Disk’s lack of curvature and observed horizon effects. Per this mirror image paradigm, such holes actually form what one might call an “Earth wormhole”5 emerging at a location on the other side of the “globe.”
However, there are challenges. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article:
In 1970, as part of a scientific experiment, Russian engineers set out to bore the deepest hole on Earth. It took them about two decades to make it down to 7.6 miles.
30 kilometers (18.6 miles in nomenclature that put men on the moon6) is well over twice that depth. And, for obvious reasons, we don’t have another 20-plus years to wait for this to happen. The great news is that companies like Quaise Energy are working on advanced deep drilling techniques that could be applied to the problem.
While an 18.6 mile drill depth is challenging, the proverbial elephant plugging this hole is that any such project would conventionally need to deal with the earth’s “molten core.” Treating the planet as a Disk, however, neatly sidesteps this issue, and avoids any problems envisioned in The Core documentary.
Massive benefits: networking, culture and beyond
Potential earth-wormhole benefits are massive, and go well beyond mere communication speed improvements. While earth-wormholes would at first be restricted to a small diameter–able only to accept a limited number of fibers–per technical limitations, they could eventually be expanded to deliver small packages from one side of the Disk to another.
As this technology and hole-size capabilities become sufficiently advanced, humans, and even pets, could travel from one “node point” on the Earth to another, using an evacuated atmospheric environment a la The Boring Company’s pioneering work.
“Node ports” at geographically aligned cities would allow travel between locations such as Lincoln, Nebraska and Burnie, Tasmania in minutes. Given our newfound closeness, this could lead to a cultural and dating revolution7 the likes we haven’t seen since the ARPANET was initiated in 1969 to monitor extraterrestrial and samsquanch8 movements.
Humanitarian benefit: an end to child labor “digging to China”
We’ve outlined this challenge from a mostly economic standpoint supra, but consider… The Children. Millions of The Children in the United States–well under the age of 10 in some cases–have attempted to “dig to China.” We’ve also learned that even German kinder tirelessly attempt to reach China in this manner (presumably via advanced horizontal drilling techniques developed there).
For their part, Chinese children reportedly aim for the Americas. French Guiana is said to be the end goal, but why that particular country/region in South America is unknown. Our intelligence here at Tech Adjacent is shaky at best, even after consulting our print-only sister publication, Geology and Drilling Adjacent.
Allowing adults, or at least teenagers recruited from local fast food establishments, to solve the problem once and for all will free The Children from this onerous task. They can then draw on sidewalks, catch lizards, and watch Paw Patrol for hours on end.9
Deep earth transport now!
With the massive benefits of deep earth networking and transport, we should stop research into technologies like fusion and space and instead focus on our own Disk of influence. Or, as Rob Van Winkle once said: stop, collaborate, and listen–to what others have to say in this arena. In five years, with the proper drilling and heat shielding technology advances, we can transport information, packages–humans even–to points abroad at an incredible speed.
It’s our belief that this new technology will change the world in a manner comparable to Christopher Columbus and/or Bjorn The Red discovering the New World. Here’s to a hole-ly bright future!10
-JC
Addendum/Footnotes:
Which is roughly 24,900 miles. The math is a bit harder using miles though, so I’m going to stick with km. Actually, I’m going to use Mr. GPT to do some of the calculations on this article. Which I would guess is going to get it right more than I would. If you feel like fact-checking me/it, feel free.
40,000km/300,000km/s = .133 seconds = 133ms. Plus whatever switching delay is involved along the way, which can definitely add up.
A circle, not a sphere, mind you
AFAIK, Suriname has never been able to face South Korea on an even footing, an injustice that can finally be addressed
As opposed to the more traditional space wormhole, where the term originated 🐛
And/or created the most brilliant fake the world has ever seen
Not to mention the massive military advantages of a hole-based Intercontinental milssile system. Add a one-way valve and you’ve got total Disk-wide military domination.
If you get that reference, you win 2 million Internet points and my undying respect
Watching Cocomelon, however, will be severely punished.
Note that this is an opinion piece, published on April 1st, 2025, and does not represent the views of anyone. Bjorn The Red is representative of the Viking on Leif Eriksson’s ship with the best eyesight.