Multi-terabit boost to 9,600km trans-Pacific cable system to meet demand for broadband services and data center applications
Paris, January 21, 2013 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is carrying out a major upgrade of a 9,600km trans-Pacific digital submarine cable system using advanced coherent technology.
The cable, owned by 5 major carriers, provides direct connectivity from the Japanese east coast to California. The upgrade will deliver multi-terabit capability to cope with the explosion of data traffic driven by ownership of smartphones and tablets, as well as the increase in video applications and the shift of enterprise activities to the cloud. The first phase of the upgrade will increase the system capacity by 1 Terabit/s.
Recent research by TeleGeography suggests that the amount of trans-Pacific used capacity will increase at a compound annual rate of 36 percent between now and 2018. With the system originally designed for an ultimate capacity of 960 Gigabits-per-second (Gbit/s) per fiber pair, the upgrade will quadruple its original design capacity by use of Alcatel-Lucent’s advanced coherent technology, delivering an ultimate capacity of up to 4 Terabits per second (Tbit/s) per fiber pair which is equivalent to approximately 500,000 HDTV channels simultaneously broadcasting a live major sporting event.
Regional and international operators are moving to the most advanced ultra-long reach technology with the highest spectral efficiency ever offered over a trans-Pacific distance. This upgrade, using state-of-the-art and field proven submarine technology from Alcatel-Lucent, is a strategic move to expand the overall capabilities of trans-Pacific communication infrastructures to benefit from a time-to-market advantage, improved performance and better scalability.
Philippe Dumont, President of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said: “Carriers, service providers, multi-media and content providers all are expanding their networks to support Internet and data center applications, while protecting their existing investments. Alcatel-Lucent’s unique submarine solution delivers ease of upgrade and scalability to multi-terabit capacity, offering a staged migration combining technological and economic benefits. This upgrade will allow quicker service turn-upto meet customers’ expectations for anywhere, anytime access to broadband applications, storage and computing.”
About the Alcatel-Lucent solution
The Alcatel-Lucent solution is based on the 1620 Light Manager submarine line terminal equipment using coherent technology at 40G, expandable to 100G, to provide the most efficient use of the available optical spectrum. The upgrade solution will be managed by the Alcatel-Lucent 1350 optical management system. In a demonstration earlier this year on the submarine cable system network, the solution was shown to deliver excellent performance and scalability over the trans-Pacific link.
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)
The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field of networking and communications technology, products and services. The company is home to Bell Labs, one of the world’s foremost research centers, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry. Alcatel-Lucent was named one of MIT Technology Review’s 2012 Top 50 list of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies” for breakthroughs such as lightRadio™, which cuts power consumption and operating costs on wireless networks while delivering lightning fast Internet access. Through such innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission – Realizing the Potential of a Connected World.
With operations in more than 130 countries and one of the most experienced global services organizations in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 15.3 billion in 2011 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.
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