12,750km System Will Set Record for Cross Sectional Capacity, Support Increasing Capacity Demands in Australia and New Zealand
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND and MORRISTOWN, NJ, USA – July 18, 2011 —
Pacific Fibre and TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company (NYSE: TEL) and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, today announced the signing of a supply contract for the Pacific Fibre undersea cable system. The exceptionally long system will stretch 12,750km and boast a significantly higher cross sectional capacity than any other trans-Pacific cable.
Intended to meet the increasing demand for international bandwidth in Australia and New Zealand, which has been growing at a rate of 55 percent per year, the Pacific Fibre system is planned for completion in 2014. The two-cable system will link Australia and New Zealand via a trans-Tasman cable, while connecting New Zealand to the United States via a trans-Pacific cable. The cable landing points will be in Sydney, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Los Angeles, California in the United States.
“Demand for international capacity in Australia and New Zealand is sharply increasing and is on track to continue growing for years to come,” said Mark Rushworth, CEO, Pacific Fibre. Mr. Rushworth continued, “The Pacific Fibre cable will not only provide unsurpassed high speed international connectivity to satisfy the growth in broadband demand, but it will also help Australia and New Zealand realize the potential of both countries’ multi-billion dollar broadband initiatives.”
Mike Constable, Director of Business Development, who led the vendor selection and negotiations added, “We look forward to working with TE SubCom, and are confident that the company’s leading 40G and 100G technology, coupled with its extensive experience and marine capabilities will enable us to successfully implement and deliver this landmark project by the scheduled launch in the first quarter of 2014.”
Upon completion, the Pacific Fibre system will be the highest-capacity-per-fiber-pair system ever built. The cables will each have two fiber pairs, with an ultimate cable design capacity of 12.8 Tbps.
“We are pleased to join forces with Pacific Fibre to construct the longest trans-Pacific system and look forward to seeing the significant benefits that Pacific Fibre’s cable will bring to the region,” said David Coughlan, President of TE SubCom. “The system will be built with our advanced technology and will enable Pacific Fibre to deliver much-needed international connectivity between Australia, New Zealand and the United States in the immediate future and to continually support the region’s ever-growing international demand.”
About Pacific Fibre
Pacific Fibre was founded in 2010 and will deliver the longest and most technically advanced undersea cable systems linking Australia, New Zealand and USA. Pacific Fibre is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. The Pacific Fibre shareholders include a number of successful entrepreneurs with proven track records, including Sam Morgan, Rod Drury, Sir Stephen Tindall, David Kirk MBE, and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel.
For more information visit www.pacificfibre.net.
About TE SubCom
TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, is an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology and marine services and a leading global supplier for today’s undersea communications requirements. Drawing on its heritage of technical innovation and industry recognized performance, TE SubCom delivers the most reliable, high quality solutions to organizations with undersea communications needs vital to their core mission. The company designs, manufactures and installs systems around the world, and has deployed more than 490,000km of subsea communication cable—or enough to circle the earth more than 12 times at the equator. TE SubCom’s global presence, backed by industry leading research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities, installation and maintenance ships, depots, and management team work together to implement integrated solutions and network upgrades, with unsurpassed reliability, that support the needs of telecommunications, internet providers, offshore and science customers worldwide.
For more information visit www.SubCom.com.
About TE Connectivity
TE Connectivity is a global, $12.1 billion company that designs and manufactures over 500,000 products that connect and protect the flow of power and data inside the products that touch every aspect of our lives. Our nearly 100,000 employees partner with customers in virtually every industry — from consumer electronics, energy and healthcare, to automotive, aerospace and communication networks — enabling smarter, faster, better technologies to connect products to possibilities. More information on TE Connectivity can be found at http://www.te.com/.
Contact:
Mark Rushworth
Pacific Fibre CEO
+64 9 215 3308
mark.rushworth@pacificfibre.net
Courtney McDaniel
TE SubCom
+1 973 656 8857
info@subcom.com
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