You are using an outdated browser. Some features may not work correctly, and your experience will not be good. Update your browser

The Cables that changed the world

Dr Paull Robathan


Organisation:
Practical Action
Regions:
Somerset, Dorset
Notice Period:
Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
Type:
Charity
Fee:
Paid: £75.00 all donated to Practical Action
Category:
History
Updated:
26th February 2026

Undersea cables powered the British Empire. To achieve the intent of worldwide communication in seconds rather than weeks and months a significant amount of technical ingenuity and investment was necessary.

The South West of England has been, and still remains the location of much of this vital infrastructure.

Starting 200 years ago we will trace the development of undersea cables and consider the risks now apparent in the rapidly changing global geopolitical scne.

Views: 15 | Enquiries: 0

About Dr Paull Robathan

Dr Paull Robathan spent over 50 years working to make sure technology, buildings and people come together in sustainable harmony to make our society better. He has extensive experience of health and telecommunications and is a Fellow of The Schumacher Institute and The British Computer Society.

Paull was born in Wales with ancestors in mining and railways. He is a member of the Transport Trust and has contributed to the recovery of the last Welsh designed and built standard gauge locomotive.

Now living in Somerset Paull's interests include Male Voice Choir, Genealogy and Local History. He is Chair of the South Petherton Local History Group.

I support Practical Action, the charity formerly know as Intermediate Technology. Established in 1966 by EF Schumacher the charity exists to change the systems that keep people in poverty and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, nature loss and pollution. We work alongside communities to build resilient livelihoods and thriving, inclusive societies.


Send a message to the speaker

If you are interested in this talk and wish to contact the speaker, please complete the following form:

 
Please provide your contact name
 
Please provide the name of your group
 
Your phone number so that the speaker can contact you
 
Your email address so that the speaker can contact you
 
Give details about the event, time of day and location
Prove you are human please.
Use the slider to drag the puzzle so that the top and bottom are aligned , or use an alternate text based challenge by clicking here.
Question: Is water wet?
 

Site Search

Search across all speakers, topics and tags. Put your search term in the box and press enter or hit search

Use quotes around exact multiple word searches, eg "winston churchill".