Like the copper cable, it would be buried in the ground--but a strand the diameter of a human hair could carry thousands of times more information than the copper wire.

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Biscom, a Milan-based broadband cable operator whose stock is currently buried in a deep trench, along with a host of other, bigger telecom companies.

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Buried in its portfolio was a small holding in cable television.

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But unlike the last build-out, when companies buried thousands of miles of long-haul fiber-optic cable under the sea and across continents, today's construction is focused more on connecting local homes and businesses with faster Internet pipes.

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