New submarine cabe to link Perth to Singapore

MUMBAI, INDIA: Networking vendor Alcatel-Lucent and Australia-Singapore Cable International Limited (ASC International), a submarine cable owner sponsored by Leighton Contractors Telecommunications, have signed a contract to build a multi-terabit submarine cable system with an option for 100 Gigabit per second (100G) transmission.

As per the contract, worth several million US dollar, the companies will build a 4,800km long new submarine system, which will link Perth, Australia, to Singapore, providing the first open access high-speed connection from Western Australia to South East Asia.

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The new network will be operational in 2013 and is touted to provide about eight times more capacity than similar regional routes.

The system design has an ultimate capacity of at least 6 Tbit/s and potentially over 16 Tbit/s with the 100G option.

ASC International will potentially deliver the first submarine and terrestrial infrastructure capable of supporting 100G speeds from Singapore to Sydney.

“This is a landmark project as it represents our first investment in a submarine cable network. This system will enable us to significantly increase our overall network footprint and service offering,” said Peter McGrath, chairman, ASC International and executive general manager, Leighton Contractors Telecommunications division.

“Today, 40G is increasingly a key requirement to manage traffic growth and meet multi-terabit capacity demands. 100G technology for submarine links is the next step to meet future bandwidth demand and match high-sped interconnection requirements with terrestrial networks,” said Philippe Dumont, president, Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks SAS.