in this issue - igi · in this issue... submarine fiber ... alcatel-lucent will have responsibility...

Vol. 16 No. 7 July 2008

In This Issue...

Submarine Fiber Optic Comm. Newsletter is published monthly by Information Gatekeepers Inc.

320 Washington St., Brighton, Massachusetts 02135, USA; Fax: (617) 782-5735; Editorial telephone: (617) 782-5033;Circulation telephone: (617) 782-5033, (800) 323-1088 (Outside MA); Email: [email protected]; Web: www.igigroup.comPublisher/Editor: Dr. Paul Polishuk Managing Editor: Bev Wilson Associate Editor: Dr. Hui PanCirculation Mgr: Jaime Perez Subscription rates: $695 per year, US and Canada; $745 per year elsewhere.Discounts available for multiple subscriptions and licenses (see back page).Information Gatekeepers Inc. 2008. All rights reserved. (ISSN 1070-096X)No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a data base or transmitted without prior written permission of the publisher.For photocopying authorization, contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, Tel: (978) 750-8400.

TOP NEWS

KDDI, Rostelecom deploy 900km fiber-optic cable between

Japan and Russia

According to the NHK channel, Japan-based KDDI andRussia’s Rostelecom have deployed an optical fiber cableacross the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The two firms laid downtwo 900km lines between the city of Joetsu in Japan and theRussia-based city of Nakhodka. The cables would be able totransmit data at 640 Gigabits per second (Gbps). The channel

Construction Cost of Submarine Cables,

1998-2010

Source: Telegeography

MTN to roll out a new5,000km fiber-optic cablenetwork........................... 2

THUS signs £12 millioncontract with FARICE ..... 3

E-Marineupgrades cable ship for oiland gas work .................. 4

BTlinks to Scottish Isles ...... 5

Omantel signs agreementto extend MENA cable toOman ............................. 6

Subsea work begins onfiber-optic cable network inSoutheast Alaska ........... 7

Global Crossinginaugurates submarinecable in Costa Rica’s pacificcoast ............................... 8

Copyright 2008 Information Gatekeepers Inc. 320 Washington St. Brighton, MA 02135 Tel: (617) 782-5033 Web: www.igigroup.com

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Submarine Fiber Optic Newsletter July 2008

stated that the commercial operations on thistelecommunications line are likely to start bySeptember.

On June 3, another submarine opticalfiber cable was unveiled between Nevelsk andIshikari, Hokkaido.

This formed a part of the projectundertaken by TransTelecom and NTTCommunications.

MTN to roll out a new 5,000km fiber-optic

cable network

South African telecom firm MTN plans to investaround R1.4-billion for constructing a 5,000kmoptical fiber network in South Africa. Accordingto Tim Lowry, MTN’s managing director for SouthAfrica, the company would spend this amountin association with other service providers,hinting that the figure could increase a bit.

The group plans to deploy thenational landline network by 2010, savingaround $835.79 million over the next 10 years.It also plans to save $371.46 million asoperational expenditures over this period. It isbelieved that MTN plans to deploy its fiber-opticcable in a tie-up with South Africa’s secondbiggest landline operator, Neotel. Mr. Lowry saidthat MTN SA intends to invest $33.16 millionfor constructing the fiber-optic network aroundhotels and stadiums ahead of the 2010 SoccerWorld Cup.

Globacom’s 9,500km undersea cable likely

to get completed in May 2009

According to Globacom COOMohammed Jameel, the Nigeriancommunications service provider’s 9,500kmsubmarine cable worth $250 million is likely tobe completed by May 2009. Mr. Jameel saidthat the “Glo” undersea cable is likely to coverGhana by May 2009 and Nigeria a little whilelater.

He added that the cable would runfrom London, UK, to 14 West Africa countriesand would have a dedicated connection to the

US. This cable would enable Globacom toincrease the number of its services.

CONTRACTS

Alcatel-Lucent signs new contract to build

the Atlantic-Mediterranean segment of the

Europe India Gateway submarine cable

network

Alcatel-Lucent has signed a contract todeploy the Atlantic-Mediterranean segment ofthe 15,000km (9,000-mile) Europe IndiaGateway (EIG) submarine cable system. EIGis the first direct, high-bandwidth optical-fibersubmarine cable system from the UnitedKingdom to India, and will significantly enhancecapacity and diversity between the countries andterritories of three continents. With completionscheduled in the second quarter of 2010, EIGwill deliver an ultimate capacity of up to 3.84terabits per second (Tbps) to provideupgradeable transmission facilities that supportInternet, e-commerce, video, data, and voiceservices.

EIG was announced in May 2008 inLondon by the EIG Consortium. Currently EIGConsortium members include AT&T; BhartiAirtel; BT; C&W; Djibouti Telecom; du;Gibtelecom; Libyan Post, Telecom, andInformation Technology Company (LPTIC);MTN Group Ltd.; Omantel; PT Comunicações,S.A.; Saudi Telecom Company; Telecom Egypt;Telkom SA Ltd.; and Verizon Business. Alcatel-Lucent is one of two submarine cable networksuppliers for the project, which has a total valueof over US$700 million.

EIG will connect three continents, withlandings planned in the United Kingdom,Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, France, Libya,Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Oman, UnitedArab Emirates, and India. Providing much-needed diversity for broadband traffic currentlyrelying largely on traditional routes from Europeto India, EIG will also provide seamlessinterconnection with other major cable systems


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connecting Europe, Africa, Asia, and NorthAmerica.

Alcatel-Lucent will provide completeturnkey work for its portion of the EIG system.Alcatel-Lucent will have responsibility for thedesign, manufacture, installation, andcommissioning of the Atlantic-Mediterraneansubmarine segment, which spans 7,100km. Thecompany will also use the 1678 Metro CoreConnect, and deploy its latest-generation 1626Light Manager (LM) DWDM (dense wavelengthdivision multiplexing) transmission equipment toprovide seamless connectivity across the twoterrestrial links in the UK and Egypt at 40Gbps.The Alcatel-Lucent offering across the EIGsystem provides terabit transmission capabilitiesto accelerate the delivery of broadband servicesand applications.

“EIG utilises the most advancedsubmarine cable system technology to providea high quality solution to help meet the continuedgrowth of broadband adoption rates around theworld,” said Mr. John Russell, chairman of theEIG Consortium Management Committee.“Alcatel-Lucent’s turnkey expertise andtechnological lead in the build of submarinenetworks will help us deliver a highly flexible andscalable infrastructure that will support thedelivery of innovative applications across theregions.”

“EIG further confirms the need for cableroute diversity and enhanced capacity to meetend-users’ demands for bandwidth to supportbroadband traffic,” said Etienne Lafougère,president of Alcatel-Lucent’s submarine networkactivity. “This new contract is recognition of thereliability of our submarine, terrestrial andnetwork solutions, as well as of our end-to-endability to provide every part of a global transportnetwork.”

THUS signs £12 million contract with FARICE

THUS announced that it has signed a£12 million agreement with FARICE, theoperator of the underwater cabling network that

links Iceland to the rest of the world, to provideit with high-bandwidth network connectivity inthe UK. THUS is providing 200Gbps of capacityto support the anticipated growth in Iceland’s“green” datacenters and server farms that usenatural geothermal and hydroelectric sourcesof energy.

The agreement with THUS is part of amajor initiative to globally connect Iceland toother major datacenters across the world suchas New York, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, andLondon. THUS will initially provide two10x10Gbps network connections stretching fromDunnet Bay in Northern Scotland, the landingstation of the FARICE submarine cable, toLondon Telehouse. These connections will beused to carry data and Internet traffic for FARICEcustomers, typically major multinationals whohave elected to locate their datacenters andservers in Iceland in order to take advantage oflower-cost, green power.

THUS will deploy a dense wave divisionmultiplexing (DWDM) solution, which not onlywill supply the initial capacity but will have thecapability to expand in the future, allowingFARICE to take advantage of the full 720Gbpsof capacity available to them, as demandrequires. This solution will significantly contributeto Iceland’s growing reputation and technicalcapabilities as a primary location for globalbusinesses to locate mission-critical back officesupport systems, including offshore complexWeb hosting services.

Gudmundur Gunnarsson, chief executiveofficer at FARICE, said, “As we develop the datacentre and server farm industry in Iceland, weare giving businesses with burgeoning carbonfootprints and data storage costs the chance toboost their green credentials while saving themmoney. We are investing heavily in bandwidthconnections through strategically importantunderwater cables and backhaul networks tocapitalise on our many competitive advantages.We trust THUS to deliver a future proofednetwork infrastructure that meets our stringent


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criteria for capacity, scalability and robustnessusing advanced, proven technologies.”

Bill Allan, chief executive officer at THUSplc, said, “We have a long-standing relationshipwith FARICE dating back to 2002 when weworked with them to provide the backhaul forthe first sub-sea cable since 1962 to land inScotland and since then, we’ve continued towork with them as bandwidth capacity demandshave grown.

To put this in context, the contract we’veannounced, 200Gbps of capacity, is enoughcapacity to run 3million concurrent phone calls;very few providers in the UK have a networkcapable of supporting such high bandwidthdemands. We are delighted to be supportingFARICE to deliver the network infrastructurenecessary to underpin Iceland’s evolutiontowards becoming the world’s leading providerof ‘green’ data centres.”

E-Marine upgrades cable ship for oil and gas

work

E-Marine PJSC, a provider of submarinecable installation, maintenance, and repair in theMiddle East, announced the successfulattainment of CS NIWA after its upgrade to DPII, which will allow it to perform surgicaloperations in very close proximity to oil and gasplatforms.

DP II is a requirement for the installation,repair, or maintenance of telecommunicationsand power cables in the oil fields in general andin the closest proximity to oil and gas platformsin particular.

“The completion of this CS NIWA DP IIup grade raises the benchmark for Oilfield cableservices in the Gulf and Indian Ocean,” saidOmar Jassim Bin Kalban, managing director andCEO of E-Marine.

“Cable Ship NIWA is now a very wellqualified vessel for operating in the closerproximity to oil and gas platforms, ensuring themaximum safety and highest service levels forthe Oil & Gas industry.

This is a tremendous achievement andwe look forward to extending these servicesacross the region.”

Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain aship’s position and heading by using her ownpropellers and thrusters. Position referencesensors, combined with wind sensors, motionsensors, and gyrocompasses, provideinformation to the computer pertaining to thevessel’s position and the magnitude anddirection of environmental forces affecting itsposition.

The computer program contains amathematical model of the vessel that includesinformation pertaining to the wind and currentdrag of the vessel and the location of thethrusters. This knowledge, combined with thesensor information, allows the computer tocalculate the required steering angle andthruster output for each thruster. This allowsoperations at sea where mooring or anchoringis not feasible due to deep water, congestionon the sea bottom (pipelines, templates), orother problems.

The Cable Ship NIWA is capable ofservicing platforms anywhere in the Arabian Gulfand also off the coast of East Africa. It has agross tonnage of 13,201 tons with a cable upliftcapacity of 6,098m/t and a speed of 15 knots. Itcan accommodate up to 138 persons and canbe at sea for a continuous period of 60 days.

All crew are duly experienced in cableinstallation and repair, as well as in undertakingall marine offshore oilfield activities. The vesselis manned by sufficient and qualified crew toguarantee 24-hour operation.

Gtd Manquehue selects Alcatel-Lucent to

deploy first FTTH network in Chile based on

GPON technology

Alcatel-Lucent announced that it hasbeen selected by Gtd Group, one of the mainservice providers in Chile, to deploy thecountry’s first network based on fiber-to-the-


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home (FTTH) Gigabit passive optical network(GPON) technology. Installation and deploymentof the GPON network will start in the third quarterof 2008, initially serving residential broadbandusers in Santiago’s prestigious Santa María deManquehue district, with other neighborhoodsof Chile’s capital city following shortly after.

Alcatel-Lucent’s solution will enable GtdManquehue, which serves residential customersand small and midsized businesses for the GtdGroup, to deliver advanced broadband servicessuch as high-definition television (HDTV),Internet Protocol television (IPTV), video-on-demand (VoD), and high-speed Internet. Alcatel-Lucent’s GPON architecture also will enable GtdManquehue to seamlessly migrate its traditionalvoice services to voice-over-IP (VoIP).

“We selected GPON technology so wecan offer our customers unlimited triple-play andadvanced business services backed with aricher quality of experience, which we think willbetter serve our residential and businesscustomers and give us a competitive advantagein this market,” said Alberto Domínguez, generalmanager of Gtd Manquehue. “Alcatel-Lucent’sworldwide leadership in broadband and theirexperienced local services teams will help GtdManquehue successfully deploy this new fiberinfrastructure, the first of its kind in Chile.”

“Operators are facing an increasinglycompetitive environment so the evolution towardfiber is the next logical step they need to take tostrengthen their position,” said Victor Agnellini,president of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in theCaribbean and Latin America region. “Alcatel-Lucent has been an important supplier of opticaland IP/MPLS solutions to Gtd Group, and weare fully committed to support the evolution ofthis operator ’s network, as they launchinnovative services to their customers.”

Gtd Manquehue will deploy the Alcatel-Lucent 7342 Intelligent Services AccessManager Fiber-to-the-User (ISAM FTTU) andthe Alcatel-Lucent 5520 Access ManagementSystem for element management. The 7342

ISAM FTTU has been the market’s first platformto comply with the GPON recommendations ofthe Full Service Access Network (FSAN) group.

NEW CABLES

BT links to Scottish Isles

BT is laying a new fiber-optic submarinecable between Orkney and the Scottishmainland to help bring its 21st Century Networkto the Northern Isles.

The 70km cable will run from Skaill Bayin Orkney under the Pentland Firth to DunnetBay, around five miles east of Thurso.

BT has awarded the contract toindependent marine engineering companyGlobal Marine Systems Ltd. (Global Marine).Weather permitting, the work should becompleted in around three weeks.

Global Marine’s cableship CS Sovereignis using its submersible plough and remotelyoperated vehicle systems to install the cable upto one meter below the seabed.

The new cable is the latest step towardsbringing BT’s 21 Century Network — the world’smost radical next-generation communicationstransformation program — to the islands.

BT has already reached agreement withFaroese Telecom to share part of a new fiber-optic submarine cable that has been laidbetween the Faroe Islands, Orkney, andShetland and the Scottish mainland.

The cable, which comes ashore at Banff,will provide connectivity to the Northern Islesalongside existing microwave radio links.

Japan-Russia cable lit

TransTeleCom Company CJSC (TTK), aRussian telecommunications backboneoperator, and NTT Communications Corporation(NTT Com) announced that the Hokkaido-Sakhalin Cable System (HSCS) — whichdirectly links the two companies’ telecomnetworks via an undersea cable betweenNevelsk, Sakhalin, in Russia and Ishikari,


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Hokkaido, Japan — began commercialoperation on July 3.

The two companies jointly started toconstruct the fiber-optic submarine cable HSCSin 2007, and the work was completed inDecember 2007. HSCS measures 570km inlength and has a capacity of 640Gbps. Its startupgives NTT Com the shortest route betweenJapan and Europe, compared with existingcable routes through southern Asia and theUnited States, by connecting the cable to theTTK’s extensive backbone network in Russia,which exceeds 55,000km.

The HSCS route will enable NTT Com toprovide the following high-reliability, high-qualityservices:

- Global Leased Line — NTT Com willprovide additional offering in Arcstar GlobalLeased Line Service using the new route andtaking orders starting now. It is estimated toshorten the latency within the company’sbackbone by 20 percent to 30 percent comparedto the existing routes.

- Global IP-VPNs — The HSCS routewill be added to the backbone of NTT Com’ssecure, scalable Arcstar Global IP-VPN Service(MPLS) beginning August 2008.

- Transit Service — The HSCS routewill be added to NTT Com’s global IP Tier 1network covering Asia-Pacific Europe and NorthAmerica, with connection to major ISPsworldwide, beginning now.

Omantel signs agreement to extend MENA

cable to Oman

Oman Telecommunications Company(Omantel) and Middle East and North AfricaCompany (MENA) of Egypt have recently signedan agreement on the landing of a submarinefiber-optic cable on the Omani coast to enhanceinternational telecommunications traffic betweenthe Sultanate of Oman and the world.

Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Wohaibi, thechief executive officer of Omantel, signed theagreement on behalf of Omantel, while Dr. Nagi

Anis, the director of Middle East and North AfricaCable Project, signed the agreement on behalfof MENA Company.

In a statement, Dr. Mohammed Bin AliAl-Wohaibi stressed the importance of theagreement, as it would introduce hugecapacities for submarine cables in the Sultanate.The project would provide great services forinternational telecommunications traffic,especially the Internet, through fiber optics incase of any cable cutoffs. It would providealternative lines for international telecomnetwork, as well as upgradeable transmissionfacilities in support of Internet, e-commerce,video, data, and voice.

Dr. Al-Wohaibi said that Omantelconstantly seeks to make the Sultanate animportant hub for international telecom trafficthrough a submarine cables network thatguarantees uninterrupted telecom trafficbetween the Sultanate and world countries onone hand and between world countriesthemselves on the other. This was madepossible in view of the strategic location of theSultanate.

Therefore, many companies endeavor toexploit the Sultanate’s secure location betweenthe East and the West to facilitate theinternational telecom traffic.

Omantel’s CEO indicated that the MENACable Project, which is implemented by theMiddle East and North Africa Company, anaffiliate of Orascom Telecom, is vital for thetelecom sector as a whole because the cablepasses through many countries besides theSultanate of Oman, including Mazara in Sicily,Italy; Crete in Greece; Alexandria and Suez inEgypt; Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; and India.

The cable landing point will be executedin Wilayat Al Seeb, where Omantel SubmarineCables Center is located. This center is usedas the main hub for submarine fiber-optic cableslanding in the Sultanate. Dr. Al-Wohaibi addedthat the total cost of the MENA Cable project isabout US$400 million.


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The 8,000-kilometer-long cable, whichwould provide a total capacity of 5.7Tbps, willarrive at Wilayat Al Seeb during the third quarterof 2009.

Omantel would achieve great benefitfrom the MENA cable, as it will enable thecompany to provide its subscribers with largecapacities, besides the fact that it would providenew tracks in case of any mishaps in anysubmarine cable lines. Dr. Al-Wohaibi indicatedthat Omantel is always seeking to diversify itsincome mix through the agreements it concludeswith international companies, especially in thearea of submarine cables, which have becomeof great importance to telecom traffic.Submarine cables have also gained greatinterest of world companies and countries, beingthe most important element to facilitate theinternational telecom traffic in the next stage,the company said in its statement.

Omantel CEO noted that the companyhas recently jointed 15 international telecomcompanies in signing the Europe-India Gatewayproject for the building of an internationalbroadband fiber-optic submarine cableextending from the United Kingdom to India andpassing through the Sultanate of Oman andother countries. The US$700 million EIG projectwould enhance diversity in the service of thesefast-growing regions in the telecom sector andinvestment environment.

Dr. Al-Wohaibi added that the submarinecable system is designed to provide a range ofcommunications up to 2.88Tbps using densewavelength division multiplexing (DWDM)technology to provide upgradeable transmissionfacilities that support Internet, e-commerce,video, data, and voice.

Oman Telecommunications Company(Omantel) is the sole integratedtelecommunications services provider in Oman.The Sultanate of Oman, through its strategiclocation on the crossroad of the Gulf, MiddleEast, and Indian subcontinent, has become amajor landing point for global cable connections

including FALCON, SEA-ME-WE-3, and TW-1.In addition, Omantel has established direct linkswith its adjacent neighbors in the region.Omantel is currently working on additional cablelandings to extend its reach to all continents.Furthermore, it possesses a resilient networkthat is capable of providing uninterrupted serviceto its customers.

Subsea work begins on fiber-optic cable

network in Southeast Alaska

Engineers skilled in laying underseatelecommunications cable will begin working inSoutheast Alaska waters in July, placing 750miles of fiber-optic cable on the ocean floor, GCIofficials announced.

For residents in Ketchikan, Wrangell,Petersburg, Angoon, and Sitka, this means high-speed connections for Internet, phone, andvideo; in Juneau, residents will benefit fromadditional fiber-optic cable, creating a self-healing fiber ring within Southeast Alaska.

Shore-end operations are scheduled tocommence July 18 in Ketchikan. Shore-endoperations in Wrangell will be about four dayslater; in Petersburg, about three days later; andin Sitka about 15 days later.

The $33 million project will connect fivemore communities to the Alaska United Westline that currently connects Alaska to the lower48, providing alternate routing and overflowtraffic-handling capabilities for residents of theseSoutheast communities. GCI expects thesystem to be complete by November 2008.

“This fiber-optic network will provide newand faster services to more than 50,000 peoplein Southeast Alaska,” said Richard Dowling,GCI’s senior vice president of corporatedevelopment. “The addition to our network isanother important step in creating andmaintaining a self-healing telecommunicationsnetwork.”

Residents in Ketchikan, Wrangell,Petersburg, Sitka, and Angoon are currentlyserved through microwave and satellite


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networks. The fiber-optic link will be morereliable and faster than microwave and satellitenetworks. Residents in other Southeastcommunities will also benefit with the reductionin demand on the existing systems. GCI ownstwo of the three networks currently tying Alaskato the lower 48.

Advantages of fiber include highinformation-carrying capacity (bandwidth), verylow error rates, and insensitivity toelectromagnetic interference.

The new fiber network will meet the ever-growing capacity requirements of the residentsin Southeast Alaska and has the capacity tokeep up with the growth of both current andpotential Internet, wireless, phone, and videoservices. In addition, the network will allowSoutheast residents access to more medicaland educational opportunities from their owncommunities through GCI’s ConnectMD andSchoolAccess networks.

“The quality of life and the potential foreconomic development increase as communityaccess to telecommunications servicesincrease,” said Dowling.

“From small business owners looking toincrease their client base to employees who canbe hired to work remotely viatelecommunications, a robust network positivelyaffects all Alaskans.”

Marine routing of the cable was carefullyplanned with safety and historical uses of theseafloor in mind. Stakeholders in the area wereconsulted, including local fishermen, pilots, theUnited States Coast Guard, harbormasters, andother permit agencies. The subsea cable followsthe Inside Passage from Ketchikan to Juneau,then heads south to connect to Angoon and westto connect to Sitka.

GCI obtained permits from the US ArmyCorps of Engineers, the USDA Forest Service,the Alaska Department of Natural Resources,various local agencies, and local municipalitieswhere the fiber comes on shore. Public inputwas also solicited along with comments from

the Alaska Department of Fish and Game andthe US Fish and Wildlife Service.

GCI is the largest telecommunicationscompany in Alaska. GCI operates Alaska’s mostextensive terrestrial/subsea fiber-optic network.The fiber network extends from the North Slopeoil production facilities through Fairbanks,Juneau, and Anchorage. The company’ssatellite network provides communicationsservices to small towns throughout rural Alaska.The company is in the process of constructingAlaska’s first truly statewide mobile wirelessnetwork, which will seamlessly link urban andrural Alaska for the first time. GCI is also aprovider of communications services toenterprise customers, particularly large businesscustomers with complex data networking needs.More information about the company can befound at www.gci.com.

Global Crossing inaugurates submarine

cable in Costa Rica’s pacific coast

Global Crossing, a global IP solutionsprovider, announced the lighting of its new fiber-optic submarine cable in Esterillos of Parrita,Puntarenas. Global Crossing; InstitutoCostarricense de Electricidad (ICE), the state-run entity responsible for Costa Rica’stelecommunications; and the RadiográficaCostarricense S.A. (RACSA) hosted aceremony at the new Unqui cable station in thetown of Esterillos.

This much-anticipated fiber-opticsubmarine cable will facilitate the expansion ofICE’s international network to the rest of theworld through Global Crossing’s network,allowing Costa Rica to increase reliability of itsinternational telecommunications andstrengthen the country’s competitiveness, notonly within Latin America, but on a worldwidescale.

“We’re excited to reinforce ourpartnership with ICE in this initiative to expandCosta Rica’s telecommunications services andincreased connectivity around the world. This


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agreement is another step in the ongoing,cooperative effort between ICE, RACSA andGlobal Crossing to promote the continuoussocial and economic growth of the country,” saidJohn Legere, Global Crossing’s CEO.

The new cable connection is anextension of the Pan American Crossing (PAC),which connects the United States’ west coast,Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, and the VirginIslands, in addition to the east coast of the UnitedStates, South America, Europe, and Asia, viaGlobal Crossing’s other underwater cablesystems.

With the new Global Crossingconnection, Costa Rica will benefit from thesecurity, reliability, and global reach of GlobalCrossing’s high-quality IP network. Additionally,this joint project provides ICE with a reliableinternational network infrastructure on bothcoasts, supporting the exponential growth ofInternet traffic and transport of mission-criticalIP business applications in the region.

ICE’s capacity to transport internationaltraffic will increase, as will the possibilities forbusinesses in the region. As an example, thenew bandwidth enables the transmission ofapproximately 185 million emails per second,assuming an average email of 20KB; allows 2.5million people to watch a video online, assuming1.5Mbps per connection; and can handle 60million phone calls. Global Crossing’s branchreaching Costa Rica has a design capacity of256 STM1 equivalents, allowing for futureincreases in capacity as ICE’s servicerequirements grow.

ICE has modernized and expanded itscommunications infrastructure at aninternational level, enabling national andmultinational companies in the country to speedthe flow information.

The new cable landing is an importantmilestone for Costa Rica as it strives to developa telecommunications infrastructure that willsupport the country’s fast-growing demand forbroadband applications.

Columbus Networks completes landing

station in Boca Raton

Columbus Networks has completedconstruction of a cable landing station in BocaRaton, Florida, marking the last major stepbefore activating an $80 million expressundersea fiber-optic route that connects SouthAmerica with the United States via Colombiaand Florida.

The state-of-the-art landing station inBoca Raton is one of three along the 2,400kmundersea fiber-optic cable route. The other twostations are in Morant Point, Jamaica, andCartagena, Colombia. Columbus Networks andits affiliate companies now operate 35 landingstations throughout the Americas and Caribbeanregions, offering what its claims is an unmatchedbroadband network of multiple self-healing fiberrings for ensuring high performance and networkreliability.

“Boca Raton continues to develop as aninternational gateway for telecommunicationsaccess between the United States and theCaribbean and Latin America Region,”contended Paul Scott, president of ColumbusNetworks. From Boca Raton, ColumbusNetworks is the only network provider with adirect express route to Colombia.

“Columbus Networks’ new landing stationin Boca Raton creates geographical diversityfrom the current concentration of cable landingsin Miami,” he continued. “This significantlylessens the risk of service disruptions causedby major weather disasters as it is unlikely thesewill simultaneously hit both locations withsufficient force to impact our hardened facilities.”

For network redundancy and routediversity, Columbus Networks also maintains aanother major landing station in North MiamiBeach, about 40 miles south of Boca Raton.“This is very appealing to other regional andinternational telecommunications carriers thatrequire our services,” Scott added. “TheColombia to Florida express route, dubbed CFX-1, represents one of the most important recent


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telecommunications projects for stimulatingeconomic expansion, broadband growth, andimproved infrastructure reliability throughout theCaribbean and Latin America Region.”

Once CFX-1 is activated this summer,telecommunications traffic can move fromFlorida to Colombia and back in about 24milliseconds, faster than a blink of an eye, sayColumbus Networks representatives. A round-trip transmission from Florida to Jamaica canbe completed within 15 milliseconds.

The new Boca Raton landing station isconstructed to withstand sustained Category 5hurricane-level storms with winds of more than160 miles an hour. Exterior walls are constructedwith 12-inch concrete blocks with three-quarter-inch reinforced steel bars in every cell and filledwith high-strength concrete.

The building is equipped with batterybackup systems along with dual 500-kilowattspower generators; high-performance redundantair conditioners; the latest fire prevention,detection, and suppression systems; videosurveillance; and state-of-the-art securitysystems, says the company.

BUSINESS

Cobian’s Triton Telecom bridges the

Caribbean

Cobian International Group Inc.introduced Triton Telecom Inc., their undersea“Communiscape” cable company, the first todirectly connect Florida and Puerto Rico. TritonTelecom is a wholly owned subsidiary of CobianInternational Group Inc., headquartered inOrlando Florida.

Triton Telecom is introducing the future-proof submarine cable, Seahorse-1, which willbe the first high-speed broadband service linkingthe United States and Puerto Rico without hops.With their experience in the telecom industryand advanced knowledge of fiber optics, Cobianis paving the path for a newer, faster, and highly

efficient way of communicating across theCaribbean. The Seahorse-1 cable system, alongwith its state-of-the-art design, will allow forincreased traffic volume and enhanced quality.

Julio Vera, general manager of Triton,stated, “The additional capacity between thesetwo regions will provide restoration capacitybetween destination points and will encourageand promote competitive pricing that will providecost-effective, innovative technology serving thepublic interest.” Seahorse-1 is slated to begincable installation during the fourth quarter of2008, with completion scheduled for late Spring2009.

Cobian ETC, sister company to TritonTelecom, creates turnkey solutions across alltechnologies and is now working with theCaribbean’s largest service providers, buildinga strong presence in the Caribbean, Africa,Dubai, and Canada.

“All Cobian companies pride themselveson being green-based, and creating optimum,earth-saving solutions and materials for aninvasion-free impact on the environment.Following our green initiative, the Seahorse-1submarine installation will be the first to utilizea renewable energy power plant,” stated JoanneNegron, CEO.

For more information, visitwww.cobiangroup.com

CTC receives Frame Agreement from

StatoilHydro

CTC Marine Projects Limited, a divisionof the Trico group, was recently awarded aFrame Agreement by StatoilHydro ASA for theprovision of trenching services.

The Frame Agreement is for a three-yearperiod, with options to extend for two x twoyears, and covers offshore Norway. StatoilHydrowill have access to CTC’s extensive fleet oftrenching assets, including the Volantis newbuildvessel incorporating the world’s most powerfuljetting trencher, the 2.1MW UT-1 “UltraTrencher.” The UT-1 offers the greatest all-


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weather launch and operating capability of anytrenching asset.

CTC’s managing director, Tony Ingliscommented, “This agreement underlines CTC’sposition as the global leader in trenching. Weare delighted that we will be working closely withStatoilHydro.”

CTC appoints manager for Australia

CTC Marine Projects, a division of theTrico group, announced that it has appointedMarcus Hemsted as technical sales managerfor Australia and New Zealand, operating fromthe company’s newly opened Perth office.Marcus has extensive experience of the subseaand telecoms industries, having worked inproject engineering and equipment design rolesfor a number of major contractors and operators.In his new role, Marcus will be responsible fordeveloping CTC’s trenching business inAustralia and New Zealand and will work as partof the company’s Asia Pacific team.

Tony Inglis, CTC’s managing director,commented, “This is an important appointmentwhich will support CTC’s clients and furtherdevelop our markets in Australia and NewZealand. We are very pleased to welcomeMarcus to the team.”

Marine sector and environmental groups

unite to launch Joint Statement on Draft

Marine Bill

The Seabed User and Developer Group(SUDG) and Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link)came together in July to launch a joint statementon areas of agreement on the draft Marine Bill.The statement is a prime example of industryand environmental groups working together toensure the sustainable development of themarine environment.

Jonathan Shaw, Marine and FisheriesMinister, welcomed the statement. He said, “Ourseas are important. We use the seas for manyresources on which jobs and livelihoods depend.Damage to marine life, habitats and ecosystems

has serious knock-on effects for all of us, soprotecting our marine environment is a highpriority.

“This joint statement between industryand environmentalists is a great example of howwe can all work together to get the Marine Billright and ensure clean, healthy, safe, productiveand biologically diverse oceans and seas forfuture generations.”

Peter Barham, chairman of the SUDG,said, “SUDG’s commitment to working withothers is evident in the joint statement whichserves as a good example of the benefits of co-operation between marine industries andenvironmental NGOs.

It sets out the importance of joined-upthinking and an integrated approach to planning,managing and protecting our seas.”

Lisa Chilton of The Wildlife Trusts,speaking on behalf of Link, commented, “Inlaunching this joint statement with the SUDG,we are highlighting the significant areas ofagreement between the environmental NGOsand the marine industries in relation to the draftMarine Bill. We are delighted that we can standtogether with the SUDG in support of MarineConservation Zones, marine planning and otherkey elements of the Bill that are essential forsustainable management of UK seas.”

The SUDG will also publish its newsustainability brochure, produced by industriessharing a common interest in sustainabledevelopment of the UK’s marine environment.It offers their perspectives on the draft MarineBill and sustainable development of the UK’smarine environment.

Commenting on the SUDG’s brochure,Peter Barham added, “This brochure highlightshow a Marine Bill that provides better regulationand marine management that benefits bothbusiness and the environment will help ensurethe sustainable development of our seas.

We are both proud and pleased to haveset out our aims and objectives in the SUDGbrochure.”


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