Fibre optic network connects Colt’s subsea cable landing stations to East Coast data centres, boosting one of the most popular routes in the world for data traffic
London, UK 10th October 2024– Colt Technology Services (Colt), the digital infrastructure company, today announced it is building a powerful, low latency fibre optic network in the United States connecting subsea cable landing stations to East Coast datacentres. The build supports demand from businesses looking to drive growth by boosting connectivity between North America and Europe, one of the most popular trade routes and busiest global routes in the world for data traffic.
The new backhaul infrastructure deepens Colt’s presence in North America and is part of its strategic investment in its secure, high-capacity Transatlantic subsea cable network. Colt has five subsea cables connecting Europe and the US, and owns the two cable landing stations in the US where these cables reach the shore. The digital infrastructure build from the cable landing stations to the East Coast third party data centres gives Colt’s customers vast capacity, greater value, a better customer experience and peace-of-mind as they can now choose Colt for the end-to-end Transatlantic network.
Phase one of the build is now complete with the service fully operational, connecting Long Island, New York – where three subsea cables land – with data centre hubs in Hudson Street and 8th Avenue, New York. Routes will be ready for service between now and mid-2025.
Annette Murphy, chief commercial officer, Colt Technology Services said, “Our customers are looking to overseas markets to boost their growth potential, and the Transatlantic route unlocks exciting new opportunities for them. Building our own digital infrastructure in the US to connect our incredible subsea network to some East Coast data centres helps these businesses meet their growth targets and prepare for the future, supported by a partner they know genuinely cares.”
Five subsea cable facts
- Subsea cables are distinguished by their names including Colt’s assets, Yellow – also known as Atlantic Crossing 2 or AC-2 – and Grace Hopper. Yellow was named by its original owners after the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, while the Grace Hopper cable was named after pioneering US computer scientist Grace Brewster Murray Hopper. Colt’s other Transatlantic fibre assets include cables named Apollo South; Atlantic Crossing-1 (AC-1); and Dunant
- Fibre optic cables are no more than a hair’s breadth, encased in subsea cabling around the size of a garden hose
- Lasers fire data along subsea cables until it meets technology called a repeater; the repeater then effectively re-energises the data and strengthens the signal until it meets the next repeater. This takes place along the length of the network until it ‘lands’ at a cable landing station
- Each fibre pair in the cable can handle up to 20Tbit/s (terabits per second) depending upon cable technology and age
- Cables can have a device attached to measure seismic activity
- A Transatlantic cable is typically 6000km in length but an additional 175km is needed for some routes, to infill the mountainous terrain and undulations that exist
Colt’s subsea cable systems between EMEA and US consist of five Transatlantic and four intra-Europe subsea cables and 12 cable landing stations, following its acquisition of Lumen EMEA. The company co-owns AS3356, the most peered network in the world, and is the largest pureplay B2B digital infrastructure company in Europe.
-ENDS-
About Colt Technology Services
Colt Technology Services (Colt) is a global digital infrastructure company which creates extraordinary connections to help businesses succeed. Powered by amazing people and like-minded partners, Colt is driven by its purpose: to put the power of the digital universe in the hands of its customers, wherever, whenever and however they choose.
Since 1992, Colt has set itself apart through its deep commitment to its customers, growing from its heritage in the City of London to a global business spanning 40+ countries, with over 6,000 employees and more than 80 offices around the world. Colt’s customers benefit from expansive digital infrastructure connecting 32,000 buildings across 230 cities, more than 50 Metropolitan Area Networks and 250+ Points of Presence across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America’s largest business hubs.
Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in the sector. Obsessed with delivering industry-leading customer experience, Colt is guided by its dedication to customer innovation, by its values and its responsibility to its customers, partners, people and the planet.
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