Communicating via telephone became easier and easier in the 20th century as the technology for scaling huge distances improved. In 1927, the first telephone service between the U.S. and London was begun, using two-way radio. In subsequent years, direct radio links were established to Hawaii, Tokyo, and elsewhere. But fading and interference made the connections unreliable. In 1956, the first transatlantic submarine telephone cable was laid. Called the tat-1, it paved the way for better service, and cables were weaving a web around the globe. Then, starting in the 1960s, communications satellites began to take on a larger share of the escalating telephone traffic.