Some of the claims don't sound right. 99% of all international communications are carried on undersea cables? I imagine a lot more than 1% of international traffic is between countries in continental Europe, for a start.
Also undersea cables have substantial benefits for long distances: Less chance of getting cut; fewer border issues to deal with; easier to route around conflict zones; the water acts as a natural boundary against simple opportunistic theft or sabotage. So even places where there may be a shorter land route you'll often find undersea cables.
