Reliance launches Falcon in Muscat

NEW DELHI: Flag Telecom Ltd, a Reliance group company, has launched its 10,000 kms terabit submarine cable system, `Falcon' in Muscat. Falcon will connect west Asia to Egypt in the west and India in the east, with services scheduled to commence from last quarter of 2005.






"Falcon remains on course to be the premier terabit submarine cable system throughout the Gulf and wider west Asian region. It will also become the first privately-owned terabit cable to land in India," said Flag Telecom CEO Patrick Gallagher.





According to the company, the network getting a landing station in Mumbai would increase the amount of cost-effective bandwidth capacity available to ITeS in the country, apart from enabling global operators to access one of the world's most dynamic economies. The initial service of the cable system is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2005.





Muscat has been finalized as the hub of the cable system that would offer high-speed, high-quality terabit connectivity to the Gulf, the wider west Asian region and India, while the building of the system was awarded to Alcatel Submarine Networks. The loop cable system would provide multiple landings throughout the Gulf region with submarine links across the countries it moves through. The landing parties of the system include OmanTel, Telecom Egypt, Batelco, MOC Kuwait and Reliance.





In India, Falcon system would interconnect with Reliance's domestic networks, including its 80,000 kms Optical Fiber Network (OFC). The Falcon network is being built and installed in simultaneous sections using several submarine cable laying ships and Muscat and Mumbai landing stations are expected to go live by the end of this year. Services to other landing countries would follow in "quick succession".





Alcatel would supply its next-generation Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (a state-of-the-art transmission facility) submarine line terminal, while its Optical Multi-Service Node and 1,678 Metro Core Connect terrestrial systems would be installed to connect the landing stations.