| Item/item | Underground cables | Over head wires |
| Public safety/faults & failures | Safer/better | Not safe/higher |
| Capital cost/running cost | Expensive/very low | Cheap/high |
| Flexibility/appearance | New cell for a cable /invisible | Flexible/visual view |
| Operating voltage/voltage drop | Less than 11 kV/low | Any higher/higher |
| Damage strokes/HF interference | No lighting & thunders /non | Affected possibility/possible |
| Jointing/fault location | Difficult/difficult | Simple/cheaper |
| Surge effect/charging current | Smooth due to sheath/higher | Direct effect/only for long lines |
| Maintenance | Expensive | Easy |