[FLAG Telecom has Awarded Alcatel the Submarine System Supply Contract for FLAG Pacific-1 Cable Network Utilizing Leading Edge Technologies]
The largest capacity on the longest transoceanic DWDM system
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2000--Alcatel, the world leader in delivering full turnkey submarine networks, has been awarded a contract by FLAG Telecom for supply of a multi-terabit dual cable system spanning the Pacific Ocean. The system - named FLAG Pacific-1 - will offer fully-protected voice, high-speed data, Internet, broadcast and other communications traffic at speeds up to 5.12 Tbit/s per cable link, a breakthrough in terms of capacity. The fiber optic link will offer high-speed circuits between Tokyo, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
FLAG Pacific-1 will be a resilient loop design, which has significant reliability advantages over single cables. Loop systems are the architecture of choice for major carriers and ISPs, as they provide instantaneous switching of traffic in the event of a system outage. The same architecture is employed in FLAG Atlantic-1, a multi-terabit system offering city-to-city services between New York, Paris and London, now under construction by Alcatel.
The whole network is expected to connect two city nodes in Tokyo, via two Japanese beach landings, to the cities of Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with two other beach landings on Vancouver Island and in the Bay Area on the US West Coast. The overall system will stretch over a 22,000 km route.
The system will comprise regenerator points, located in Hawaii, for the southern cable, and on the Aleutian peninsula in Alaska, for the northern cable. Regenerating both of the trans-Pacific links keeps the maximum span length below 6,300 km, a major factor in maximizing the number of wavelengths across each cable. FLAG Telecom's customers will be able to add or drop traffic at any of the beach landings, city nodes and at the Hawaiian regeneration station. The design includes integrated backhaul networks for city-to-city connectivity. Alcatel will supply the terrestrial transmission equipment including ADMs at 10 Gbit/s, DWDM at 64 wavelength, optical protection switches in the landing points and an integrated management system for both submarine and terrestrial networks.
FLAG Pacific-1 will be the first transoceanic cable with eight fiber pairs, with 64 wavelengths per fiber pair and 10 Gbit/s per wavelength line rate. Approximately 22,000 km of a new cable will be laid, using eight fiber pairs of large effective area fiber throughout. This is matched by the leading technology of the Alcatel repeaters. The increased number of wavelengths per fiber pair will be achieved by increasing the overall bandwidth. FLAG Pacific-1 will use laser-generated light to transmit digital information and is capable of carrying over five trillion bits of information per second. This equates to more than 60 million simultaneous telephone conversations or 2.5 million E1 lines / 3.3 million T1 lines (E1 and T1 are the respective standards for Europe and America for a line bit rate). The system will be based on optical DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) technology supporting the development of next generation IP over DWDM services.
Andrs B. Bande, Chairman and CEO, FLAG Telecom, said: "Our vision of becoming the leading global carriers' carrier with a global network of 100,000 route km is well underway. The Pacific route is projected to become one of the world's largest over the next few years as the combination of strong regional economic recovery, Internet adoption in Asia and the continued explosive growth of Internet content in the US, drives traffic levels to new heights. Very few organisations have the financial, managerial and technical capabilities necessary to build, operate, market and sell such a complex infrastructure project. With our experience in the FLAG Europe-Asia and FLAG Atlantic-1 systems, we have the track record to implement FLAG Pacific-1 on time and within budget. The supply contract for FLAG Atlantic-1, currently under construction, was awarded to Alcatel and we are pleased to have chosen Alcatel again as prime supplier, continuing our excellent cooperation with them. Alcatel's solution will provide a leading edge infrastructure platform for future value added service offerings across our global network. We believe FLAG Pacific-1 will strengthen our position in the US and Asian regional market and provide a competitive, highly-reliable service to our customers and their mission-critical applications".
Christian Reinaudo, President Alcatel Optics, stated: "FLAG Telecom is rapidly building a state of the art global network and we are delighted to have been chosen again to provide a leading edge DWDM submarine system as another key component of their plans. Delivering over 5 Tbit/s of secure capacity, FLAG Pacific-1 is the largest capacity system yet announced and, at roughly 22,000 km, it will be the longest transoceanic DWDM system ever at such a high level of capacity. We are enjoying an ever-growing relationship with FLAG Telecom as their requirement to deploy systems with the newest technology is complemented by Alcatel's unparalleled technological achievements. FLAG Pacific-1 will again use the latest developments and will see the world's first eight fiber pair transoceanic system."
The system - expected to initially enter service with a capacity of 160 Gbit/s - is scheduled to be operational by early 2002, with full loop service by mid 2002.
About FLAG Telecom
FLAG Telecom is a leading independent global carriers' carrier, providing an innovative range of products and services to the international carrier community and ISPs. The company owns and operates the FLAG Europe-Asia cable system, stretching along a unique route from the UK to Japan, and FLAG Atlantic-1, offering direct city to city services between New York, London and Paris, is currently under construction. FLAG Telecom is building a global network expected to reach over 100,000 operational route kilometers by 2003. Global telecommunications is one of he fastest growing industries and FLAG Telecom is well positioned to be a world leader in the most critical segment of this market. The FLAG Telecom network is designed to meet the growing demand for Internet and other advanced communications services, providing carriers with a world-class broadband superhighway. The company has a customer base of over 90 leading international operators and ISPs, including 17 of the top 20 carriers in the world. For more information: flagtelecom.com. |
