Laser Light Partners with Equinix to Deploy World’s First Laser-Based Communications Network

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQIX, news, filings), the global interconnection and data center company, today announced it has been selected by Laser Light Communications (US) and its affiliate firm, Laser Light Global, LTD (UK), as its strategic interconnection provider for Laser Light’s All Optical Hybrid Global Network, or “HALO,” the world’s first hybrid optical network exclusively utilizing laser technology. As part of the initial agreement, Laser Light will establish its inaugural global Point of Presence (PoP) at Equinix’s DC11 International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center in the Washington, D.C. area.

With its deployment at DC11, Laser Light will commence installation, testing and demonstration of its leading-edge laser communications and SD-WAN equipment. Once operational, the HALO satellite constellation will offer its Optical Satellite as a Service (OSaaS) – SpaceCable™ services to carriers, enterprises and government customers at Equinix facilities around the globe, providing a seamless all-optical communications system, through its hybrid satellite-terrestrial network, capable of quickly and cost-effectively connecting any two points on the globe with 100Gbps service links.

Highlights / Key Facts

• The initial deployment in Equinix’s DC11 IBX is expected to grow with additional Points of Presence planned globally, including Equinix facilities in the UK, Japan, Brazil, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.
• Space-based laser communication technology – known as Free Space Optics – stems from 20+ years of civil science and federal investments and deployments by government entities such as Department of Defense (DOD), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA) and Japanese Space Agency (JSA). It is now being commercialized for the first time by private firms, such as Laser Light.
• Equinix is home to 1,400+ networks and 2,500+ cloud and IT service providers on its global platform with 145+ data centers across 40 top markets on five continents. This makes it the home of the interconnected cloud and a natural partner for Laser Light’s HALO Network. By leveraging Equinix’s rich ecosystem of customers, Equinix provides Laser Light a marketplace enabling it to offer its capacity to Equinix customers, who require low latency, high data volume transmission services for their global market destinations.
• An Equinix partnership will permit Laser Light to access global facilities, which will aid in its need for interconnection with local and terrestrial fiber infrastructure as necessary to bypass atmospheric interference and deliver its OSaaS directly to its customers.

Quotes:

• Ihab Tarazi, chief technology officer, Equinix:

  “We are excited to work with Laser Light as the interconnection provider for this cutting-edge satellite technology that greatly increases access to many parts of the world that are underserved by current fiber and wireless networks. By adding ‘SpaceCable’ as an equivalent offering together with terrestrial and submarine cables, Equinix customers looking for low latency solutions to reach new or emerging markets will have access to a full suite of data transport options.”

• Robert Brumley, CEO, Laser Light:

  “A partnership with Equinix permits Laser Light to become a truly tier 1 global carrier with access to facilities, and incumbent local fiber providers, in a ‘one stop shop’ partnership. Also, Equinix’s mix of enterprise, global carriers, and government customers, permits Laser Light to be present in the marketplace for high volume data services in the key regional markets around the globe. We are excited that Equinix and Laser Light have formed this partnership in this stage of our development to draw on their extensive experience as a global facilities provider, and cooperate with us in our deployment of a unique, SDN global network.”

• John Hannah, Director of the New IP Agency (NIA):

  “We applaud Laser Light and Equinix for pioneering the commercial deployment of OSaaS and providing the communications industry with another example of the capabilities and benefits of virtualized IP networks and how network convergence is redefining the way communication services are delivered to end-users. The virtualization of IP networks and the adoption of SDN has the ability to deliver benefits to the communications industry beyond just CAPEX and OPEX savings, including the ability to bridge traditional communications networks together in order to introduce novel network designs that meet end-users’ increasing need for high-bandwidth connectivity.” www.newipagency.com.

• Maureen Rhemann – Sr. Strategist, Trends Digest (Reperi Analysis Center)

  “We are entering a new era where data could be all dressed up with no place to go, and the party could be ending sooner than we think. With 60 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020, petabyte level processing, and zettabyte level data growth, global networks face being imperiled by the sheer onslaught of massive data traffic. Lasercom is the most viable solution because it’s rapidly deployable, secure, can be optically integrated ubiquitously with terrestrial and satellite networks, and has proven its resiliency and reliability for high speed transport of large data sets. Like the evolution of cloud computing, lasercom is the next logical progression in communications transport technology and firms like Laser Light are leading the pack.” http://www.trendsdigest.com/ .

About Laser Light Communications (US)
Laser Light™ intends to deploy an All Optical Global Communications Network – HALO™. The service capacity of the planned HALO™ constellation of 8-12 Medium Earth Orbit satellites will be 7.2 Tbps,  comprised of 48 sat-sat 200Gbps optical crosslinks and 72 sat-ground 100Gbps optical up/down links, without reliance on regulated radio frequency spectrum. Laser Light™ intends to interconnect its proposed HALO™ satellite system with over 100 customer Points of Presence clustered within 20-25 SD-WANs across the globe. The HALO™ network – satellite and SD-WANs – will be cross-connected to Laser Light’s proprietary extended ground network and its patented operating system, ensuring carrier grade service, enhanced redundancy, resiliency, and unprecedented security. HALO™ is designed to support its “Optical Satellite as a Service” (OsaaS) product suite – Global Access 100Gbps Circuits and its proprietary HALO™ Direct Connect service – to global enterprises, data centers, media, finance firms, carriers, and government entities.http://www.laserlightcomms.com

About Equinix
Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) connects the world’s leading businesses to their customers, employees and partners inside the most interconnected data centers. In 40 markets across five continents, Equinix is where companies come together to realize new opportunities and accelerate their business, IT and cloud strategies. www.equinix.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from expectations discussed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, the challenges of acquiring, operating and constructing IBX centers and developing, deploying and delivering Equinix services; unanticipated costs or difficulties relating to the integration of companies we have acquired or will acquire into Equinix; a failure to receive significant revenue from customers in recently built out or acquired data centers; failure to complete any financing arrangements contemplated from time to time; competition from existing and new competitors; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow or otherwise obtain funds to repay new or outstanding indebtedness; the loss or decline in business from our key customers; and other risks described from time to time in Equinix’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, see Equinix’s recent quarterly and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available upon request from Equinix. Equinix does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

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SOURCE Equinix, Inc.