Buzz
It seems unlikely that anyone will be making cell phone calls from within a submarine anytime soon.
Stocktrek Images/Thinkstock"Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?" If you're attempting to use a cell phone on a submerged submarine, the answer is unfortunately no.
Cell phone signals rely on very high-frequency radio waves (around 800 or 1900 megahertz in the United States). These waves travel in a straight line, are easily disrupted, and lose strength when they encounter salty seawater.
Even when above the ocean, a submarine would need to be fairly close to land because cell phones depend on a network of base stations, or cell towers, to send signals. While theoretically, a cell phone could connect to a tower up to 45 miles (72 kilometers) away, the signal would be unreliable; typically, a few miles is the more common range [source: Markgraf].
Submarines must remain submerged at depths between 200 and 330 feet (60 to 100 meters) to avoid being detected [source: Baker]. For many years, submerged submarines have relied on extremely low frequency (ELF) or very low frequency (VLF) radio waves for communication, as these low-frequency signals (ranging from 300 hertz to 30 kilohertz) can travel great distances and penetrate seawater [sources: GlobalSecurity, Stanford University].
However, ELF and VLF signals have very limited bandwidth, with data transfer rates varying from a few hundred bits per second to as few as a couple of bits per minute. To receive these signals, submarines must tow large antenna cables and slow their speed underwater.
Recently, the U.S. Navy has been investigating new technologies, including small communication buoys that can be launched to the surface to connect with military satellites, and quantum key distribution, which uses the principles of quantum mechanics to enable secure communication with submerged submarines [sources: Baker, Edwards].
