In This Issue: Broadband – from Land to Sea to Economic Prosperity

 71 july Voice 2013 of the ISSN 1948-3031 Industry

Regional Systems Edition In This Issue: Broadband – From Land To Sea To Economic Prosperity

Cutting Through The Challenges Of Submarine Cable Repairs

Cable Companies Gearing up for Offshore Renewables Statistics Website Traﬃc -‐ Hits Website Traﬃc -‐ Unique Visits 1,800,000 56,000 1,600,000 54,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 52,000 1,000,000 50,000 800,000 48,000 600,000 46,000 400,000 200,000 44,000 -‐ 42,000

Oct-‐12 Jan-‐13 Feb-‐13 Apr-‐13 Jun-‐13 Sep-‐12 Nov-‐12 Dec-‐12 Mar-‐13 May-‐13 Sep-‐12 Oct-‐12 Nov-‐12 Dec-‐12 Jan-‐13 Feb-‐13 Mar-‐13 Apr-‐13 May-‐13 Jun-‐13

Magazine Downloads Avg. Web Visits per User 90,000 Issue 35 80,000 #67 30 70,000 Issue Released 60,000 25 #66 50,000 Released 20 40,000 Issue Issue 30,000 #70 15 Issue #69 Released 20,000 #68 Released 10 10,000 Released -‐ 5 -‐ Sep-‐12 Oct-‐12 Nov-‐12 Dec-‐12 Jan-‐13 Feb-‐13 Mar-‐13 Apr-‐13 May-‐13 Jun-‐13 Sep-‐12 Oct-‐12 Nov-‐12 Dec-‐12 Jan-‐13 Feb-‐13 Mar-‐13 Apr-‐13 May-‐13 Jun-‐13 2 ISSN No. 1948-3031

PUBLISHER: Wayne Nielsen MANAGING EDITOR: Kevin G. Summers elcome to the 71st edition of have watched would-be stars rising and SubTel Forum, our Regional falling in a matter of days or even hours. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Stewart Ash, Richard Elliot, Stephen Jarvis, Omar Jassim Bin WSystems issue. Three weeks of incredible endurance Kalban, Brian Lavallée, Gregor McPherson, Yves backed by sheer will power. Ruggeri, Yoani Sanchez My brother asked me last night if I was watching the “homerun shootout”. Anyone who has been in our industry Submarine Telecoms Forum magazine is When I said I didn’t know what he for a while can appreciate the incredible published bimonthly by Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc., and is an independent commercial meant, he reminded me that baseball All- endurance required. We experience a publication, serving as a freely accessible Star game was on later. But my general number of tough years sprinkled with a forum for professionals in industries connected lack of interest was not easily disguised few good ones in between. The good old with submarine optical fiber technologies and techniques. Submarine Telecoms Forum may with words. days seem a lifetime ago, and progress not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, takes much more time and effort. in whole or in part, without the permission of I find it hard to be a fan of more than the publishers. one sport at a time. I know people like In chatting with various system suppliers my retired father-in-law, who can follow recently one appreciates that a number Liability: while every care is taken in preparation of this publication, the publishers multiple sports during the day – clicking of big system decisions are in the offing. cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of from golf to baseball to soccer to more Who is in the peloton? Who is chasing? the information herein, or any errors which golf and more baseball. That’s not me. Who is wearing the Maillot Jaune? may occur in advertising or editorial content, or any consequence arising from any errors Give me instead Lions Rugby and a Just like le tour there will be multiple or omissions, and the editor reserves the right visiting best Welsh friend, or better yet winners of multiple prizes. And it will to edit any advertising or editorial material my annual pilgrimage of pain, the Tour be interesting to see what companies are submitted for publication. de France! standing on the podiums at the end of Contributions are welcomed. Please forward to the day. the Managing Editor at [email protected]. Anyone who has read this magazine for a while knows I am rabid for le Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc. tour. I love everything about it – the 21495 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 201 physicality, the teams, the “cracking” of Sterling, Virginia 20166, USA subtelforum.com the peloton – everything. I have planned my day around that live feed in the 3 Copyright © 2013 Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc. morning or wrap-up in the afternoon. I In This Issue...

Exordium 3 SubOptic: A Timely Note of 21 Back Reflection 42 Wayne Nielsen Warning Stewart Ash Richard Elliott News Now 7 Conferences 47 Cutting Through The 25 Outlook: Regional Systems 9 Challenges Of Submarine Advertiser Index 48 Stephen Jarvis Cable Repairs Omar Jassim Bin Kalban Coda 49 Broadband – From Land To 12 Kevin G. Summers Sea To Economic Prosperity Cable Companies Gearing 32 Brian Lavallée up for Offshore Renewables Gregor McPherson

SubOptic: Beyond Paris 19 Yves Ruggeri Eating A Cable: 38 Internet Access Still Elusive In Cuba Yoani Sanchez

4 News Now  A Cockatoo Ate My Internet:  BICS Opts For Infinera BT and  Fiber Optic Cable Linking Cuba To Online Stability Using Mesh Ciena Light World’s First 800G Jamaica Active Networks Super-Channel  Fibre Needs The Regulators  Aarnet, Southern Cross boost  Cable Ship Prepares To Roll-out SXTransPort link Fiji-Tonga Fibre-Optic Cable  GeoMesh Takes Global Provider, Hibernia Networks, Expands With  ACASIA Launches Global Data  Cuba Activates Fibre-Optic Cable CoreSite In Boston And New York Centre Link With Jamaica  Google ICPC Plenary Inadequate  Alcatel-Lucent And Telkom  DANTE and UbuntuNet Alliance Backhaul Holding Back West Indonesia To Enhance Broadband Award Contract To WIOCC To Africa Indonesia to Establish Connectivity In Indonesian Provide Connectivity Services To Submarine Cable Taskforce Archipelago Through Undersea Sub-Saharan Africa Cable Infrastructure Development  Indosat Incurs Losses Due to  Egyptian Navy, Telecom Seek $40 Cable Theft  APTelecom & TopPatch Announce Million To Settle Issue Strategic Partnership Agreement  Infinera Demonstrates Transport  Ericsson Closes Telecom Cable SDN and Packet Technology on  APTelecom Announces Launch of Manufacturing Facility DTN-X Platform at Nissho Labs ‘State of Subsea’ Event Series  Federal Permitting Reform  ITC Completes 8 Years Of Initiative Continues to Ignore Strategic Alliance With Reliance Submarine Cable Infrastructure Globalcom In Saudi Arabia News Now  KT Submarine Wins Submarine  NTT Communications Named  Phoenix AUV Now Capable of Fiberoptic Cable Project from NEC Data Center Service Provider of Diving to 4,500 Meters the Year at 2013 Frost & Sullivan  Main One Rebrands To Address Japan Excellence Awards  RINA Launches New Rules, Broadband Challenges In West Notations and Guide Africa  NTT Communications to Launch World Ocean Specialists Inc.  Sea Fibre Networks Launch The  Montserrat Proposing Submarine Achieves Major Milestone in METRO2C Alliance Fibre Optic Cable Project Gulf of Thailand Offshore Fiber Network  Seacom to roll out 2,500 km cable  NCC Seeks Decentralisation of in South Africa Cable Landings Stations  OFAC Authorizes Certain Exports To Iran For Personal  Snowden: NSA Hacked China Communications  NEC To Upgrade APCN2 Telcos, Submarine Cable Network Submarine Cable Capacity Firm  Pacnet Enters into Master Service Agreements with China Telecom,  New Managing Director Joins  Southeast Asia-Japan [SJC] Cable China Unicom, and China Mobile DOF Subsea UK System Strengthens Connectivity in 7 Territories  Pentagon Requests $450M USD to  New WACS outage details Remodel Guantanamo?  Submarine Cable Company Submarine Cable Equipment  Pharos acquires 1200HP Subsea Underdogs Prepare To Shake Up Cable Trencher The Market News Now  Submarine Cable To Connect  The International Cable Protection  What Is The State Of ACE For Tunisia to Europe Committee Announces Search For Better Internet Service? A General Manager  Syria Disappears From The  Xtera Communications Partners Internet Again  The Price Of Loyalty With Warley Design To Develop New Optical Repeater For Subsea  Tata Comm Tumbles After OFS  Tunisiana And Orange Tunisia Cabling Gets Weak Response Sign Partnership Agreement With Interoute For The Deployment  Xtera Expands Turnkey Offering  Tata Communications Limited : Of Submarine Cable “Didon” And Joins ICPC Confirms Its Delisting From The Connecting Tunisia To Europe New York Stock Exchange And  ZTE Slips By Alcatel-Lucent In Termination Of Adr Program  UK Fibre Cable Spying Is Global On Market “Unacceptable”  Teamwork Needed For New Subsea Cables  Vickie Hamah Urges Maritime Authority to Protect Submarine  Telkom Invests $30M In Fiber Cables Optic Cable  Warley Design Helps Develop  Tender Issued For Construction Of Next-Generation Optical Repeater New Telecommunications Cable For Subsea Cable Systems The Undersea Cable Report 2013 Intelligent intelligence - go beyond the numbers! From Terabit Consulting

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9 Stephen Jarvis 013 is proving to have the smallest growth of regional systems Systems Announced RFS produced since the beginning of the 2 25 recession five years ago. 20 This year, only three new systems will be installed: one in the Mediterranean 15 and two in the Atlantic. This is a sharp decline from last year, totalling 13 new 10 systems. 5 This is in stark contrast to projected numbers from 2012, which suggested 0 twice as many new systems. Instead, 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 they were put off to later years. “The climate is tough for financing new “They’ve been told to really use what Part of the reason that measures like this systems,” said Eric Handa, Co-Founder you got as much as you can,” Handa are being taken instead of financing a and CEO of APTelecom. According said. Whereas in previous years systems new system to take up the load is because to him, a large part of the reason new would be run at 70% capacity, a measure companies are choosing to invest in systems are being delayed is a change in that extends the life of the cable, owners wireless, giving more customers access companies owning the systems. are using 85% - 90% capacity. to capacity they already have. “There’s been a period of neglect to fiber for the last 36 months,” Handa said. Announced Kms Added by Year However, he explains, this period may be coming to an end. 180,000 160,000 Despite a rather quiet year in 2013, the 140,000 growth of regional systems is looking 120,000 up. Announcements for the next two 100,000 years of system instillations expect a 80,000 spike in regional systems, specifically in 60,000 the Pacific and Atlantic. 40,000 20,000 Come 2014, the most cable systems -‐ in four years will open in both areas. 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Each region will be host to seven new 10 There is also good news for system Systems Announced RFS 2014-‐2015 owners: the average cost of systems is trending downward as well. By 2015, By Region the average cost is estimated at $41,389 3% 2% 2% 5% per kilometer, the lowest it’s been since Medi 2010. Unfortunately, the cost will be up Atlan3c 10% the year before at an estimated $46,092. Paciﬁc 29% This all speaks to a general growth that Indian Ocean hasn’t been seen in recent years. Carribean 49% Mid East Stephen Jarvis is a Polar freelance writer in the Washington D.C. area. He has published articles and systems. The Caribbean and the Middle “They can’t really support cloud done editorial work with East will also open one each. There will based services,” Handa said. As this several publications including Submarine be a total of 101,024 kilometers of cable is becoming a standard tool for many Telecoms Forum. Also, he has been a added. around the world, installation of new speaker for the Popular Culture Association systems that can handle higher capacity / American Culture Association National The following year is expected to be is becoming necessary. Conference. the greatest growth of regional systems since 2009 with an addition of 22 new systems to five different regions. 13 of these systems will be in the Pacific. The Avg Cost per Km total cable that will be laid and ready for 60,000 service is 165,580 kilometers, the most added in a single year in more than 50,000 seven years. 40,000

According to Handa, this is because 30,000 eventually the reach of wireless will US DOllars US DOllars 20,000 become hindered by a lack of capacity, just as existing capacity distribution 10,000 was hindered by a lack of wireless until -‐ recently. On top of that, existing systems 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 11 are becoming antiquated. Broadband – From Land To Sea To Economic Prosperity

12 Brian Lavallée Precious Manmade Resource The Internet has erased many political industry publications and conferences, borders and has fundamentally this article will review how broadband Now more than ever, broadband is life. changed the way humans communicate connectivity can and is being used as It’s the modern heartbeat that connects and interact with each other locally, a powerful agent for socioeconomic our world. In just over a decade, nationally, and even globally. As change the world over. network connectivity has transformed people become increasingly dependent from a communications mechanism to upon this precious manmade Changing World easily and rapidly share information resource, broadband technologies and among friends and colleagues to one connectivity will continue to evolve A 2011 report1 uncovered several enabling significant economic, political, at a frenetic pace, as will their impact interesting social changes related to and social change. Broadband provides on citizens and nations around the how people under 30 years of age a voice to a global audience to anyone world. Although how broadband perceive broadband connectivity. For with a broadband network connection. technology works is covered in many example, over a half of respondents said they could not live without the Internet and actually cited it as an integral part of their lives, in some cases more than cars, dating, and partying. A third of respondents believed the Internet to be a fundamental resource for the human race, as important as air, water, food, and shelter, and almost half believing it is “pretty close” to that level of importance. Almost 80 percent believe the Internet is vitally important as part of their daily life’s sustenance and, if forced to make a choice, almost two thirds of respondents would choose an Internet connection over a car—quite different from their parents’ generation.

Cars used to be the symbol of mobility. However, in today’s connected world of smart, mobile devices, information 13 is readily available in the palms of our hands, anywhere, anytime. Rather than than being seen only as a social media impact of the Internet on over a thousand drive to the library to access information, communications vehicle, governments organizations in Ghana, Kenya, the information is brought to us via should view Internet connectivity as a Nigeria, and Senegal. Over 80 percent an Internet-enabled device. This also vital and effective engine for continued of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise helps explain why only a quarter of economic growth and its associated (SME) owners believe the Internet college students and employees cited positive social impacts. A 2012 study2 will help grow their businesses while traditional printed offering significant newspaper as their cost reduction most important opportunities tool for accessing as businesses information. shift towards As younger Internet-powered generations grow enterprise systems. up with broadband For example, the tightly integrated Kenyan National into their personal Health Insurance and business lives, Fund (NHIF) global dependence was able to cut on constant its administrative broadband costs in half connectivity will simply by continue to increase automating their in importance, at an claims processing, accelerated pace. accessing real-time data, and tracking Economic payments. The Development agriculture sector Engine also experienced significant benefits As telecom networks are increasingly found that the South African Internet via access to online information that deployed across Africa, Internet economy contributes $7.1 billion, or two creates price transparency, improves penetration continues to increase, percent, to its Gross Domestic Product Supply Chain Management (SCM), and although access to this coveted resource (GDP). A recent 20133 study examined provides timely climate and growth 14 is still far from ubiquitous. Rather the social and economic development data. Ready access to all this information helped reduce farmers’ operating costs notices. Access to broadband services supply and demand sides of business. while increasing their incomes, thereby accelerates and facilitates the buying Beside the many environmental fueling the economy in other sectors. and selling process, making it faster, benefits of home-based businesses Advancements in mobile money more convenient, and equally attractive and telecommuting, broadband access facilitate an Internet-based economy as to both buyers and sellers alike, which facilitates numerous activities involved people can access product and provide creates a win-win situation. in running a business of any size. Product payment more readily. These are just development, billing, inventory, SCM, a few examples of how broadband is and shipping functions may not be helping developing African countries available in-house but are readily improve their economies, and should be available online. This is of particular used as examples for other developing importance in developing countries countries. where the required infrastructure required to successfully launch and Broadband access to the Internet sustain new business ventures may benefits both developed and developing not yet be available locally. Broadband nations. A 2009 study4 found that 10 expands the available ecosystem of percent higher broadband penetration required functions to a global scale, in a specific year was correlated with allowing businesses to become more 1.5 percent greater labor productivity competitive. growth over the following five years. It also found that countries in the top tier A recent 2011 study6 produced similar of broadband penetration exhibited findings, in which broadband was seen two percent higher GDP growth as a key driver for economic growth for than countries in the bottom tier. A developing countries. This study found highly connected nation facilitates an increase of 1.38 percent to their GDP new business ventures and offers A different 2009 study5 estimated that growth for every 10 percent increase in immediate access to literally billions a 10 percent increase in broadband broadband penetration—higher than of potential customers. However, household penetration boosts the for any other telecom service. What online access to information has also GDP of a nation by up to 1.4 percent. is clear from this and other studies is created far more savvy consumers as Broadband access from the home that increased broadband penetration well due to timely access to relevant allows individuals to more easily boosts the GDP of developing and information in the form of product purchase products. It also allows developed countries to the benefit reviews, pricing comparisons, individuals to establish home-based of all. However, it is more important customer service histories, merchant businesses quickly, which is evidence for developing countries to improve 15 reputations, and even product recall that broadband benefits both the broadband availability to its citizens, given their relatively weaker economic developed and developing countries alike. mean the difference between life and starting points. Internet access shrinks the A 2011 study7 estimated that at least $5.5 death. digital and broadband divides to ensure trillion is spent worldwide on healthcare, developing nations are not left behind yet a cost savings of approximately 10 to Catalyst for Change the rest of the increasingly interconnected 20 percent could be achieved through the world. use of telemedicine services delivered Schools and students benefit from by broadband connectivity. Broadband- broadband access in a manner similar to the Healthcare, a Human Right enabled telemedicine can save the lives of healthcare sector by accessing numerous those in remote regions who historically online resources, many of which are free. Even the important healthcare sector sees have been underserved in terms of access Through a simple Internet connection, benefits from broadband access by using to medical services and equipment. The people from developing and developed the Internet to improve and reduce the costs World Health Organization8 estimates a countries alike gain access to a wealth of of training for medical professionals. These worldwide shortage of almost 4.3 million information that helps educate people, connections enable easier access to the medical staff—a situation that is most regardless of where students are located, knowledge, experience, and recommended severe in the poorest countries of the world. to improve their lives and those around best practices of medical experts around Online medical services such as expert them. For example, Khan Academy9 is a the globe. Healthcare is potentially advice, patient monitoring, diagnosis, and non-profit learning organization whose one of the most important areas where staff training can be greatly facilitated via stated mission is to change education for broadband can make a positive impact broadband connectivity to greatly increase the better by providing a free world-class on people around the world, especially the availability and quality of healthcare. education for anyone anywhere, at any in remote and underserved regions in In some cases, telemedicine services can time. All of the organization’s resources 16 are available online to anyone at any time individual homes to tapping into nearby the probability of a global or regional and free of charge. Such learning resources submarine cables in Polynesia to connect failure is very low, it is not zero. The can and have changed the lives of people entire islands into the global broadband impact of such a failure on international in developing countries. Education and network infrastructure. security and economic stability could knowledge, the most significant catalysts be devastating10. This report’s findings for societal change, are greatly facilitated Information itself is not knowledge. However, clearly illustrate the critical importance and accelerated via remote access to online immediate access to the incalculable amount of submarine cable networks to the resources. For this reason, governments of information readily available to anyone global network infrastructure by stitching the world over are implementing national with a broadband connection increases terrestrial networks together to erase strategies and policies to improve and accelerates knowledge transfer. It is geographic distances and political broadband access to even the remotest said that the only real source of knowledge boundaries. By extension, submarine of communities. Global connectivity is experience, but having access to and cable networks play a significant part increases the collective IQ of mankind, to learning from the experience of others in the evolution of mankind from social, which there is no limit. around the world quickly shrinks the economic, and political viewpoints. knowledge divide between developed and Although our industry understandably Jugular Veins of Global Network developing countries. Online collaboration gets caught up in the ingenious wizardry Connectivity of individuals and organizations further of submarine network technology, what is improves and accelerates the knowledge base often forgotten or overlooked is the direct Regardless of the differing quantitative of mankind. For this reason, huge Research and positive impact these technologies benefits of broadband connectivity and Education (R&E) networks are currently have on mankind, today and in the future. confirmed in study after study, one thing in use, allowing people to solve scientific is clear, constant, and salient across all mysteries that have baffled mankind for Brian Lavallée is the Director studies: broadband benefits mankind. At centuries. Developing countries and their responsible for Global its most fundamental level, this is why learning institutions that collaborate in Networks Solutions at Ciena overland and undersea networks are such R&E initiatives can benefit from this built in the first place. Of course, revenue consolidated expertise to the benefit of their is why network operators expand and citizens. Who knows where the next Albert grow their networks, but without direct Einstein will be born just waiting for the 1. “Cisco Connected World Report”, September 21, 2011 2. “Internet Matters: The Quiet Engine of the South African or indirect benefits to their customers, chance to meet his/her potential? Economy”, World Wide Worx and Google Africa, 2012 there simply is not a viable long-term 3. “Impact of the Internet in Africa”, Dahlberg, April 2013 4. “Digital Highways: The Role of Governments in 21st business case. It is precisely because of the So how important are submarine Century Infrastructure”, Booz & Company, 2009 5. “Mobile Broadband for the Masses”, McKinsey & numerous social, economic, political, and cables to improving the lives of people Company, 2009 environmental benefits that broadband around the world? According to the 6. “Broadband – A Platform for Progress”, ITU/UNESCO, June 2011 access continues to proliferate in every ROGUCCI report, nearly 100 percent of 7. Boston Consulting Group, 2011 region of the world (albeit to varying the world’s intercontinental electronic 8. “Scaling Up Saving Lives”, World Health Organization, 2008 degrees and different deployment paces), communications traffic is carried by the 9. www.khanacademy.org/about 10. “Reliability of Global Undersea Communications Cable from increasing broadband availability to undersea cable infrastructure. Although Infrastructure”, Karl Frederick Rauscher, IEEE, 2009 17

SubOptic: Beyond Paris

19 Yves Ruggeri was delighted to accept the more global definition of community. that all members can sign up to. nomination to become the President In the past we have felt that the forum of SubOptic for the SubOptic 2016 of our conference is sufficient in itself, In undertaking this task I must also I ensure that SubOptic takes account of cycle. Fiona Beck has done a marvellous to undertake this role, but we are now job for the past two cycles, culminating in the process of questioning whether what other organisations, such as ICPC in SubOptic 2010 in Yokohama and we have a broader social responsibility may already be doing, or intending SubOptic 2013 in Paris and I, with the and role. to do. We must avoid at all costs support of the SubOptic Executive attempting to replicate or duplicate Committee and the Host organisation, If this is the case what should that what other organisations already do will be very pleased to take up the role be and what would be the most and only add incremental value. challenge to make SubOptic 2016, to appropriate SubOptic structure to undertake it. In these few words I have tried to outline be held in Dubai, as good if not better what I see as my major challenges for than those two events. Taking the Inform, Educate and the next few years. SubOptic 2016 will be the first time Exchange key words from our Paris conference, what more can we do or I hope with your support - and SubOptic that we have organised a conference only exists because individuals and outside of Europe, Japan or the USA should we do as representatives of the largest players in the global undersea companies are prepared to provide and we expect that E-Marine, the Host this on a voluntary basis - to be able to for this event, will do all in their power communication community to promote our industry and for what purpose? succeed in making SubOptic of even to make it as successful as the previous more value to the industry and the eight conferences, organised under our Helping to define this role and then wider community. auspices. The UAE are a major hub in organising an appropriate structure the submarine cable network and it is likely to be one of the greatest seems only fitting that our next event is challenges I face over the coming three hosted in that region. years. Though I have started this article SubOptic is a voluntary organisation by focussing on the conference we which relies upon its members to organise, SubOptic has the potential facilitate it activities. Its members to be much more than a conference. representing as they do the various We are currently a non-profit making strands of the industry, have conflicting organisation whose purpose in life is to views and aims in their commercial life. promote our industry to our community of interest. Though this is defined quite It is therefore going to take hard work broadly it is still much narrower than the and compromise to achieve an outcome 20 SubOptic: A Timely Note of Warning

21 Richard Elliott ub Optic in Paris in the third Sub Optic has a place in our industry, telecom world the political support for week of April will live long just look at the attendance figures, more commercially orientated players has Sin the memory. Particularly than 725 attendees, from more than 280 changed dramatically from the support the memory of those charged with companies and 60 countries.. There quite reasonably shown to government organising it. They say that travelling is however, no room for complacency. owned monopoly national carriers. is better than arriving but having Far from it, Sub Optic needs to change. It’s hardly a surprise that marine organised the programme I am of the Jean Devos, the founder and father jurisdiction is a more difficult issue now firm opinion that arriving was better figure of Sub Optic summed it up than it was pre 1982 when all nations’ than the journey, thus disproving that perfectly in his presentation. Jean telecom operators were extensions of old adage. However, “you get out feels and surely he’s right, that the government. It’s also more important what you put in” does ring true. The structure of Sub Optic as it is today that the industry is better able to event was by all accounts a success and was appropriate for the industry pre communicate outward because of the perhaps reflected a lot of hard work and immediately post liberalisation increased geopolitical and economic by all involved and good luck to my but things have changed and Sub importance of communication in the successor in Dubai in 2016 I say. Optic hasn’t. Sub Optic now needs to digital age. There is an aching role to communicate outward to the world fill, the question is how to do it. Yves What though did we learn from the at large. This voice for the industry Ruggeri in his new role as President event as a whole? For me it was that is needed because in a liberalised of Sub Optic may agree, if he does

22 he has the challenge of adapting the On a lighter note and without wishing Our keynote speaker on day one of Sub organisation to be more of a voice for to undermine the seriousness of the Optic, Matt Ridley, put forward the the industry and I wish him well with message, this need to communicate case quite brilliantly that we, as a race, this. outward has always existed as are inclined to be overly pessimistic Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), Saturdayevidenced 14 May 1881,by the page article 2 reproduced when a rational assessment of the below. It was published 131 years ago improving lot of mankind is supportive Bendigo Ad- by an Australian newspaper (archived of optimism. Far from bringing about STARTLING THEORY. by the Australian national library) and the end of the world the telegraphic vertiser (Vic. : The London t>t James's Gazette writes " ic is reported a story that had appeared cable has been central to the growth : 1855-1918), Tiiia planet, soems, threatened with Saturday 14 serious changes by the extension of the tele in London’s St. James’s Gazette. The in freedom and prosperity. It is Sub May, 1881, graphic system. A timely note of warning to Gazette said it was informing its readers Optic’s role to ensure that in the fibre this effect is given by one of the American Page 2 it about “a timely note of warning” that optic age it continues to do so. papers. Polarity, observes) depends upon right a current of electricity passing at angles had appeared in “one of the American to the direction of the polos. The polarity of papers.” Prior to joining Apollo tho earth depends upon the electric or heat it is full time, Richard Elliott currents of the sun, and highly probablo that the earth's inclination to the ecliptic is The concern highlighted in this was executive chairman If, governed by its polarity. therefore, American paper was about the effect of Band-X a company he there were instantly established sufficient that the extension of telegraphic co-founded in 1997 as a electrical connection by wires around tho earth, with the earth itself, to instantly system might have on the climate. The centralised trading exchange equalize the current and a complete produce ' article says that if there were “sufficient for communications capacity. From 1987 to reduction of all electrical excitement, what would be the effect 011 the polarity, and electrical connection by wires around the 1997 he was at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson ! secondly 011 the inclination to the ecliptic earth” the planet’s polarity could be and as a director of the securities division Slay there not be a sudden change of polar reversed. advised institutional and corporate clients ities-the Arctic region becoming equatorial, and tho tropica suddenly changed to polar on valuation and investment. Of particular i The result would be a “sudden melting of temperature The sudden melting of the vast note were the financings of COLT, Telewest, ice fields would produce another glacial the vast ice fields” followed by a “glacial Energis, and Orange. This was preceded by Hood ; tho present race would disappear, and lifo flood” that would wipe out the human the man of the quaternary would begin three years at the university of Edinburgh ever again at the antipodes. All this is to race. The article continues: and six years service in the British Army. be accomplished by the continuation of com plete circuits for telegraphing around the Of course, “tremendous earthquakes Richard is a Member of the Securities and globe Of course tremendous earthquakes would follow”…”Whether this theory Investment Institute and a Member of the would follow, as the polar diameter is tiventv Institute of Cancer Research six miles too short and the equatorial twonty prove [sic] correct or not, there cannot be six miles too loug. Whether this theory a doubt that something has of late gone prove correct or not, there cannot be a doubt wrong with atmospherical arrangements, that something has of late gone wrong with atmospherical arrangements, and perhaps tho and perhaps the telegraph wires are not telegraph wires aro uot wholly blameless in wholly blameless in the matter”. the matter." 23

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88633606 The Power of Submarine Information Transmission

There’s a new power under ocean uniting the world in a whole new way. With unparalleled development expertise and outstanding technology, Huawei Marine is revolutionizing trans-ocean communications with a new generation of repeaters and highly reliable submarine cable systems that offer greater transmission capacity, longer transmission distances and faster response to customer needs. Huawei Marine: connecting the world one ocean at a time. Cutting Through The Challenges Of Submarine Cable Repairs

25 Omar Jassim Bin Kalban ubmarine cables are not only the backbone of the international Stelecommunications network, but they provide critical infrastructure to the global economy. With modern economies and societies dependent on uninterrupted global data connectivity, repairs to severed cables must be tackled with a fast, efficient and economic response. This not only minimises costs for cable owners, but keeps the world moving and reduces disruption to end customers. But damage to a cable can take just a few hours or a few weeks to repair, so what are the challenges that maintenance teams and vessels have to cut through? More data means more cables

The world today is rapidly evolving with new inventions and technologies sent and received worldwide using the required, particularly in developing being developed faster than ever. The global network of submarine cables has economies such as the Middle East information and communications experienced unmatched growth since where adoption of the internet technology (ICT) industry is one of the availability of the internet in the and mobile devices is moving at the fastest growing sectors, with an 1990s, which has driven up bandwidth. an incredibly fast pace, driving-up explosion of new products and high Forecasts for bandwidth employment global data traffic. In the last 22 years speed capabilities over the last few show a staggering annual growth rate since E-marine has been providing decades such as the internet, which of 40% from 2009 to 2018, leading to an submarine cable solutions from the have changed the face of the world as amount of more than 600 Tbps in 2018. East Coast of Africa across the Gulf we know it. At this pace the amount of international and Red Sea to India we have seen an According to telecommunications bandwidth in the world will double increase in the cable that is maintained market research and consulting firm every two years. grow from 1,000 km to almost 100,000 km of submarine cable. 26 Telegeography, the amount of data, This means more submarine cables are Developing economies driving data of local content. Speed is of the essence

In recent years, the Middle East region These advancements have led to This example highlights how a has seen an influx in the construction almost all businesses in all sectors submarine cable and its capability and announcement of new submarine becoming heavily dependent on can impact not just on the areas they cable systems and competing terrestrial these vital submarine networks. are located, but the entire world. This systems and the total demand for According to SWIFT (The Society is why repairing and maintaining international capacity from the Gulf of Worldwide Interbank Financial submarine cables both economically countries has shown significant Telecommunications) its network uses and efficiently is so vital. Whole growth. The main drivers of this surge submarine fibre optic cables to transmit countries and industries can be in activity are an increase of broadband financial data to over 8,300 financial impacted hugely by damage, whether penetration and availability, mobile institutions in 195 economies, handling caused by natural hazards and/ or penetration, and an increase in digital nearly 15 million messages daily. manmade hazards. Any delays can content consumption and emergence also impact on cable owners’ revenue as they have to fulfil contractual obligations to their customers. Longer repair times can mean bigger potential losses and nothing can fully substitute the complete failure of a cable system, which could lead to a complete loss of regional network transmission. Complexity of repairs

While the ICT industry has been evolving so too has the rest of the world. Increased shipping and sea bed users and an expansion in fishing, combined with a growing network of submarine cables, results in the likelihood of more cuts. There has also been a major change in the technological advancements of the systems that have to be maintained. Cables have changed from a mix of 27 coxial and fibre optic cables carrying dependent on, and cannot be controlled, is of course the weather. This can prevent repair ships from setting sail or cause crews to suspend repairs and move to safer waters in the wake of a storm. No matter if they are in dock or out at sea, crews need to continually monitor weather conditions to ensure cable repairs are completed as quickly as possible. Repairs are typically undertaken up to force BF 7(28-33 knots) winds with crews battling harsh conditions. However, further worsening of weather to levels of BF 8 with waves of 20-40 ft, sea state 7 then usually requires ships to go to standby mode in order not to undermine the safety of both the crew/vessel and the cable system itself. Repair teams simply much lower volume of data in a few repair. Since the dot.com bubble burst, have to sit out the storm and mobilise tens of Mbps, to far more sophisticated investment in cable repair ships hasn’t again as quickly as possible once all optical links carrying thousands increased at the same rate as the cable conditions are safe again. Dynamic of billions of bits of data (Tbps). This infrastructure, which can cause a back- Positioning technology on board ships technological advancement has led to log as there are more cables that need to helps to guard against bad weather increased complexity for repair and be tended to. This is set to change over by using satellites to keep ships in an maintenance, so it is essential that the the come years as companies such as exact position by monitoring currents technical team on board the vessels E-marine make significant investments and winds, without dropping anchor. and crew have the right experience in new vessels. This will enhance our Stepping up security and expertise to provide the fastest existing fleet of three cable ships and and most effective solution. Gone are ROVs (remotely operated vehicles). Although speed is of the essence, the the days when cable repair vessels number one priority that must be were sometimes idle waiting at any Weather dependent considered before setting sail is the one location to move onto the next One major obstacle that all repairs are security and safety of crews on board 28 The threat of piracy also drives up the insurance cost, which is determined on where a ship has to travel and for how long. Not only can this increase requirements and project costs for cable owners, but it can add to delays while the correct paperwork and cover is implemented, which can be up to a few days in some cases. Then it may be necessary to mobilise security teams, which involves liaison at a Government level withthe relevant Ministries of Defence to allow permission to permit weapons on board. Even to transit through a country’s’ water with security guards, we have to seek security permission with that Government. Red tape causing delays

Another significant hurdle for cable ships. This is particularly important for Contracted Armed Security Personnel repair and maintenance is that they can contractors such as E-marine, which (PCASP). But this doesn’t mean the be left waiting idly while the relevant have to operate in and around declared number of pirates has decreased, permits and fees are secured to enter war zones or dangerous waters that are but points more to the fact that there a country’s territorial waters. Each prone to pirate attacks. has been less successful attacks. The country has different regulations, but actual threat to vessels is still very in some locations the amount of red According to the International real and crews must be vigilant. As tape can be a major obstacle and a Chamber of Commerce, the number an organisation we have to ensure the danger to fast and efficient repairs or of recent pirate attacks, particularly in upmost levels of safety for those on maintenance. Not only does this lead to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea has board. In the past, piracy wasn’t such direct costs for cable owners, pushing dropped compared to recent times, a major factor to consider for cable up the cost of repairs, but ultimately can which could be due to the increased repairs, but nowadays it is a constant cause economic harm to that country military presence and preventative threat that can impact on repair and through a lack of stable uninterrupted measures including the use of Privately 29 maintenance response times. connectivity. New regulations issued vessels undertaking repairs. Those customers.He oversees all elements of the by the Indian Ministry of Shipping for which do require permits should aim business which operates in the Middle East example now require foreign flagged to accelerate processes through a single subsea cable region stretching from Sri ships entering Indian water to ensure point of contact to reduce times to an Lanka in the East, spanning across The that one third of the crew is made up of absolute minimum. Gulf and Red Sea, to South Africa in the Indian nationals to grant a licence for West. This also includes E-marine’s cable period of 30 days, and if 90 days then No one’s off the hook and storage depots in Hamriyah, UAE and this increases to half the crew. Cutting through these challenges Salalah, Oman and the E-marine fleet of to submarine cable repairs cannot cable ships, remotely operated vehicles and Obviously the work undertaken by marine facilities, which are considered to be crews on board is very specialist and be achieved by the cable repair and maintenance providers alone. An one of the most important support pillars requires many years of training, so we for the regional digital infrastructure. He have to spend time to find properly effective partnership approach between cable repair maintenance providers began his career as a graduate trainee with qualified staff that won’t comprise the Etisalat-UAE in the 1980s after graduating safety or quality of the works being and cable owners in the private sector, combined with Government efforts will from North-Eastern University, Boston, undertaken. This can mean that a cable Massachusetts, with a degree in Electrical repair that would take five hours to realise the importance of submarine cables as critical infrastructure. The Engineering. Omar was appointed as CEO repair, could end up taking three weeks of E-marine in 1998 to create, develop and as the right crew has to be assembled risk to business and financial markets, society and security are hinged on grow a stand-alone unit for subsea cables and then the relevant licences and and services at regional and international permits granted. enabling fast, efficient and economic repairs to submarine cables to prevent levels. Dealing with a number of different network damage impacting on authorities and obtaining permits can economies. take a long time as each state has different requirements and procedures. Faster Omar Jassim Bin Kalban repairs could be achieved by promoting is Managing Director greater collaboration between different and CEO of E-marine, states and streamlining procedures. the principal provider of States that are members of UNCLOS submarine cable solutions (United Nations Convention on the in the Middle East. He is responsible for Law of the Sea) should be encouraged leading the company’s operations and to commit to obligations that grant driving profitable growth in the region, the innocent passage for cable repair as well as ensuring a superior customer 30 experience for regional and international Publication Type: Quarterly Next Release: August 2013

SubTel Forum releases its Submarine Cable Almanac each quarter. This digital document serves as complement to our Submarine Cable Map and features each major international system on its own page, along with a system map, landing points, system capacity, length, RFS year and other valuable data. The Almanac also includes full-color adverts from some of the Advertising Inquiries: most important players Kristian Nielsen in the industry. Vice President [email protected] Tel: +1 (703) 444-0845

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Price: $3,000 USD Price: $3,000 USD Cable Companies Gearing up for Offshore Renewables

32 Gregor McPherson ith the growth in offshore renewable energy projects, Wdemand for power cabling is prompting many telecoms cable laying companies to increase the flexibility of their fleets. Gone are the days of dedicated telecoms vessels, today multipurpose vessels are now the norm. This need for a broader handling capability has prompted the development of new cable handling technologies.

Telecoms has dominated the submarine cable laying market for well over a 100 years, and after faltering at the turn of new century will continue to show significant growth to meet handle, it is generally light enough to better suited to handling the small the seemingly insatiable demand for allow men to walk it into the correctly and slippery PU coated ‘skinny’ higher Internet capacity. It is a fact that nested position for ease of subsequent cables than traditional wheel engines, telecoms cable storage, handling and deployment. were developed. A further notable deployment techniques have remained development during this period was largely unchanged for many years. The Developments in cable technology and the widening application of cable cable is stored in a basket or cable tank manufacture allowed production of drum engines (CDEs). Hitherto used and handling requirements are varied, long, unrepeated cable lengths enabling to recover up damaged cables, with from high speed installation, joint/ festoon (or single span) cabling systems improvements in load measurement repeater handling through to often high such that repeaters (or amplifiers) could technology, they were increasingly tension maintenance provisioning. remain on shore, have in practice had proposed as the sole method of laying Typically there is no requirement to little impact on handling techniques as well. While lacking the lay speeds prevent twisting of what are invariably employed. Multi-track cable engines, of wheel engines they required less small diameter cables, as it is being laid where one possible exception being space and therefore could be used on 33 up in a cable tank. Easy to physically smaller vessels. The other significant stored at zero tension – with the ability carousel. and onto the seabed. Planning technology change has been the switch to accommodate slight mismatches considerations influencing the ease of to variable speed electric drives in place in linear and rotary speed. It also installation of the carousel include the of hydraulics, allowing greater control allows significantly longer lengths of availability of a circular cable tank and of cable laying. cable to be stored than a reel; thereby the suitability of the tank top to support maximising the time spent offshore the more concentrated loaded, ensuring From basket to carousel cable laying. that the amount of height taken up by the turntable is optimised. Access for Adapting an existing telecoms Replacing a basket with a carousel personnel to both the storage area and cable ships to handle power cable requires the addition of a large loading below the floor has to be considered brings with it a new set of handling arm to ensure the cable is stored correctly along with cable routing and the hence challenges. For a start the power cable and to reduce residual cable twist of the loading arm configuration. This is more susceptible to back tensions that the cable as it is deployed from the latter point is largely determined by telecoms cable. Also it is imperative to prevent the cable twisting. The options are to replace the existing cable tank store with either a carousel or large reel on the ship deck.

The selection of a carousel / turntable or reel is dependent upon: type of vessel and product storage and handling requirements. When cable is stored below deck it means modifying the existing basket or cable store with the installation of a carousel. Power cables are less able to cope with the 5-10Te back tension generally encountered with telecom systems; they are also relatively dense, and have small bend radii. The carousel combines the 34 benefits of a basket – the cable can be the required minimum bend radius. large capacity, 3,000 tonne turntables. Carousels are not limited to below The required minimum bend radius The two, ‘basket’, turntables have open desk of course, they can also be deck- largely determines this latter point, lattice outer walls, a closed hub and post mounted either on the vessel or on while the actual loading arm structural positions for installing partitions, and a barge. The advantage of a deck- design is driven by the cable’s bend are designed to operate at a maximum mounted carousel is that it is easier stiffness. Additionally, access space for product linear speed of 1,000m/hr (at to increase the storage capacity by installation will determine the detail of core). Loading arms and cable tracks lowering the deck, for example, a 9.2 m the carousel design. have also been fitted to control the diameter reel can take 300-400T of cable cable’s 4m minimum bend radius, along product. Moreover, it also has the added For example, the recent conversion of a with all system controls. To save time flexibility of allowing movement of the telecoms cable vessel to also handle non- and cost, the turntables systems were reel from port to starboard, if necessary. coilable power cable involved taking out adapted to accommodate the vessel’s Of course, it is still possible to use the the cable tank floor and installing two, existing hydraulic power units (HPUs). carousel as a basket when required. The ability to partition the basket allows gives greater operational flexibility a. And a positive advantage over a reel system where product is unloaded in reverse of the load sequence.

A recent trend has been the increasing use of modular reels and carousels. These bring another level of flexibility to cable laying, and offshore operations. At one end of the scale, Dutch company Blue Offshore, a specialist marine installation contractor, has opted for a deck-mounted, adaptable modular turntable system. With 9,000 tonnes of carrying capacity in its full 32m configuration, it will be the largest turntable of its type in the world. The 35 design has been fully optimised for telecom and power cable handling. At wind farms in which cable arrays operation. All these issues are amplified the other end of the scale, a 400 tonnes are deployed. The cable is variable when using mobile equipment. modular turntable for Aberdeen- diameter: maximum diameter at the based Mooring Systems can be readily furthest wind turbine and narrowest at The technology has now developed configured in either ‘reel’ or ‘basket’ the wind turbine closest to shore. The to the point where we can provide modes for handling a wide range of reel based system features a segmented cable handling systems that are highly flexible products including cables, reel allowing the different diameter adaptable and modular, to achieve the umbilicals, dynamic risers and hoses. cable to be loaded on to a single reel, optimum conditions for ease of storage It is road transportable, allowing it to thereby significantly reducing the and handling during deployment, no be delivered anywhere in the UK and cable handling complexity. In addition, matter the type of vessel and cable loaded onto a ship for immediate use. the cable laying involved depositing a product. loop of cable of the sea bed at the site Reel Systems of each wind turbine. Disengaging Gregor McPherson is a the reel control and compensator and professional mechanical On deck, cable handling systems tend to lifting the cable from its deck circuit engineer, Gregor McPherson be mostly reel, provided the cable is able and depositing it overboard achieved holds an MBA from Glasgow to support some level of back tension. this. University. He has worked The benefits of using a reel include in the marine handling equipment sector easier linear/rotary speed matching, Flexible Cable Storage and Handling all his career. Mr McPherson joined Caley lower installed power and generally a Systems, more challenges to come Ocean Systems in 1994 and has been Sales simpler lower arrangement. Moreover, and Marketing Director since 2000. by storing under tension there is more As has been shown, cable storage control over stiffer cable products. and handling technology continues ItCable to taken from the reel and the to develop to meet the challenges tension optimised by passing the cable faced by telecoms cable and offshore through a deck circuit incorporating an operators. The key engineering issues adjustable compensator, and finally a when modifying an existing vessel cable tensioner before being dispatched are: height of the reel and the load overboard via a cable chute. arm size together with bend stiffness; bend radius - ensuring good control Recently a cable handling system has of the product through all 4 corners; 36 been developed specifically for offshore line of sight; and simple and intuitive Check out our new website:

subtel forum .com Eating A Cable: Internet Access Still Elusive In Cuba

38 Yoani Sanchez here is a popular expression in ban clients despite reports that it is fi- little Internet service was available. In Cuba that is synonymous with nally functioning. the two years since, government media Tdifficulty and crisis. When you has been silent about the cable, gener- want to indicate that someone is do- In 2007, Cuba and Venezuela began ating rumors of a possible failure due ing badly economically, it is sufficient working on installation of the Alba-1 to mismanagement or the diversion of to say that he is "eating a cable." Street submarine cable, named for the Span- resources. humor has identified the act of chew- ish acronym of the Bolivarian Alterna- ing and swallowing a bundle of wires tive for the Countries of Our America. Three weeks ago, an expert at Renesys, with scarcity and material want. The At the cost of $70 million and after a a U.S. firm that analyzes Internet traf- parable has gained strength these days series of delays, the cable touched fic, suggested in his blog that the Alba- in reference to the fiber-optic cable in- ground in Santiago de Cuba in Febru- 1 cable had started showing activity. At stalled between Cuba and Venezuela, ary 2011. However, the island contin- first, traffic was detectable in only one which has yet to provide service to Cu- ued to use satellite providers for what direction, but after several days he had 39 doubt by many analysts, who say that the rate includes users of the country's intranet, where no websites are available that dissent from the regime. Stud- ies have ranked Cuba in last place in Latin America for international Inter- net connectivity with a rate of only 3 percent, but even that number seems optimistic.

In the two weeks since the first signs of cable activity, there has been no per- ceptible change in connectivity for users in work or educational centers. Nor, as far as can be proved, has the speed increased in the few Internet cafés that exist in Havana. With prices ranging between 5 and 10 euros (about US$7 to US$13) per hour, hotels continue to offer extremely slow connections to the Internet and many sites are blocked. confirmed the sending and receiving of island is using other sources of access data. Doug Madory, a Renesys research in addition to the satellites. "While ac- The same day the Alba-1 activity was engineer, said the Spanish company tivation of the Alba-1 could be a good reported, a young man who was wait- Telefónica SA had begun to direct In- way to improve ETECSA's links to the ing outside a crowded Internet café in ternet traffic to the government-owned Internet, Cuba will probably continue Old Havana was surprised by the in- Internet service provider ETECSA. to be unable to provide a wide range formation provided by Renesys. "Now Telefónica denied it was supplying of network access," Madory wrote on how will they explain why we have routing services for the Alba-1, but Renesys's website. to pay so much for an hour of connec- confirmed that it was providing other tion?" he asked. The various people services to ETECSA. According to official statistics, 23 of waiting their turn for a computer con- every 100 inhabitants on the island curred. The expert said lower Internet laten- have access to the Internet. That figure 40 cies to Cuba could be evidence that the has been heavily criticized and put in The independent journalist Frank Abel Garcia, whose tweets under the handle and false information. But many young @FrankAbelCuba are published only people seem excited and anxious about This article originally appeared via text messages, was skeptical about the latest details on the cable that have on the Committee to Protect the news. "I think there is no interest or appeared in the international press. Journalists website political will on the part of the govern- Perhaps the great World Wide Web is ment for the people to have Internet ac- closer than it appears. cess." In his estimation, if the cable was activated on a massive scale it could Yoani Sánchez is a pio- be a "strong blow to state propaganda. neer in the Cuban blogger It would open the eyes of a lot of peo- community. Time maga- ple in regards to what happens in the zine listed her as one of world and in our own country." the world’s 100 most in- fluential people in 2008. In 2009, she The official media, as usual, have been received a Maria Moors Cabot citation silent, and television programs con- from Columbia University’s Graduate tinue to depict the Internet as a con- School of Journalism. glomerate of violence, pornography, Cuban citizens waiting to use the Web stand outside an Internet café in Havana. (AFP)

41 Back Reflection by Stewart Ash The Atlantic Price War put back into service. So, at this time, to put the CCC out of business. The Anglo operated four cables; the 1869, 73 CCC responded by reducing its Atlantic As explained in our last edition, by the & 74 cables inherited from the France cable rate to 25 cents a word, a position time the Commercial Cable Company Atlantic Telegraph Company and the it held until 15th September 1887. It then, (CCC) was incorporated, in 1883, refurbished 1866 cable. The Direct and reluctantly, reduced its rates to the loss telegraphy across the Atlantic was in the P-Q Companies each operated a single making level of 12 cents a word. At this hands of four companies. These were cable and Western Union ran the two rate all four companies were unable to the Anglo-American Cable Company, American Telegraph owned cables. make a profit and they were all losing the Direct United States Cable Company, considerable amounts of money. This the P-Q Company and Western Union, Due to the initial success of the CCC, position could not be sustained for any operating over the cables owned by in attracting customers away from the period of time so, on 30th July 1888, the four the American Telegraph and Cable other cable operators, three of these companies met and agreed a fixed rate Company. However, due to the companies, Anglo, Direct and Western arrangement. The agreement allowed commercial arrangements between these Union approached the President of for messages between New York City, companies, pricing was effectively under the CCC, John W Mackay (1831-1902), New England, the Canadian Provinces the control of Anglo and Western Union. with an offer. The proposal was of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, that the CCC should join the revenue Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec on the Anglo-American were the owners of pooling arrangement that they enjoyed. the original 1865 and 1866 cables. Both one side and France, Germany, Great Mackay declined and chose to maintain Britain and Ireland on the other to be 25 had been repaired several times before a competitive relationship with these the 1865 cable was abandoned in 1877. cents, 1 shilling or 1.25 Francs per word pooling companies. As a result, in May st The 1866 cable had ceased to function in for ordinary traffic, with effect from 1 1886, Anglo, Direct and Western Union September 1888,. 1872 but in 1880, the major part of it was dropped their Atlantic cable rate from replaced by the Telegraph Construction 40 cents to 12 cents a word, in attempt In parallel with these negotiations, on 42 and Maintenance Company (Telcon) and 1st June 1888, the CCC had taken over the pooling agreement, because when Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This statute the operations of the P-Q Company. P-Q obtained its landing rights in 1879, was signed into US law by President Sometime earlier that year, Count Dillon it had agreed not to combine with any Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), on 2nd (1812-92) had identified an opportunity other company, French or foreign, July 1890. to acquire, cheaply, a controlling interest without the consent of the French in the P-Q Company and by so doing Government. Such agreement had not In May 1892, hostilities broke out give the CCC another Atlantic cable. He been obtained, and accordingly, on 31st between the CCC and P-Q, when the convinced Mackay to purchase a majority December 1886, P-Q notified the English Managing Director of P-Q, in France, a of the shares, which he did, obtaining companies that it would withdraw from Monsieur Belleville, refused to allow the 20,000 shares at a cost of US$798,756. the pool. Immediately, Anglo brought CCC to deposit it stocks with P-Q, which An agreement was then made where the and action against P-Q in the French was common practice in France prior P-Q would continue to trade separately Courts, claiming 5,000 Francs per day, to voting at a shareholders meeting. but CCC would transmit its messages with interest, for the period that P-Q Despite this, a shareholders meeting was st over the P-Q cable during interruptions remained out of the pool. In January held on 31 May 1892 at which Belleville to CCC’s cables and in addition CCC 1889, the Court of Commerce of France and his associates were dismissed from would provide the funds necessary for found for Anglo and ordered P-Q to the board and a new board elected. the maintenance of the P-Q system. re-enter the pool and pay Anglo 2,000 Belleville retained possession of the Francs per day for the number of days company’s books and records and In 1880, the P-Q Company had joined that P-Q was out of the pool, effective refused to release them. In addition, he the pooling agreement between Anglo from 31st December 1888. P-Q appealed and his associate directors, dismissed and Direct and they were joined in this the decision. when the new board was elected, sued by Weston Union, in 1882. This pooling the new directors for 100,000 Francs agreement was set to run for a period of Things did not go much better for each, on the grounds that the meeting at 46 years. However, on 30th December Western Union, because they were forced which they had been elected was illegal. 1886, the French Government demanded to withdraw from the pooling agreement th 43 that the P-Q Company withdraw from by the passing through Congress of the On 12 July 1892, a meeting was convened Companies merged with Marconi’s Telephony Company, in 1924, the Direct Company cable was transferred to the new company, Imperial & International Communications Ltd. This company became Cable & Wireless Ltd., in 1934. The Direct Cable failed in 1943 and was not repaired until 1952. This was the last telegraph cable that Cable & Wireless operated across the Atlantic and was removed from service in the early 1960s.

In 1894, the CCC contracted Siemens Brothers to manufacture and lay another Atlantic cable over the same route as its original cables. This was the first cable to feature a solid as opposed to a stranded conductor. In 1900-01, a further Atlantic cable was laid for them by Siemens Brothers. This time the route was from Nova Scotia to the Azores and between the rival factions, at which, it the P-Q Company to pay damages and then on to Waterville. This was the last was agreed that three members of the interest to Anglo for withdrawing from of eight Atlantic cables to be supplied by old board should be retained and that the pool, and appointed arbitrators to fix Siemens Brothers. The CCC continued four new members should be elected. the amount of such damages. The P-Q as an independent company until 1928, However, on 26th December 1992, the was unable to pay these damages and so when it amalgamated with All America French Tribunal of Commerce rendered the affairs of the company were wound Cables and Mackay Radio and Telegraph a judgment annulling the May and July up and it was dissolved. to form the American Cable and Radio meetings and appointed a Provisional Corporation, the controlling shareholder The Direct United States Cable Company Administrator of the P-Q Company. At of which was the International Telephone had come under the control of Angola this point the CCC took the decision to and Telegraphy Corporation (ITT). take no further part in the affairs of the American in 1877, although it continued P-Q Company. to operate under its own name. The In 1908, Western Union came under the company was acquired by the British control of AT &T and it became possible On 10th July 1894, the Court of Appeal of General Post Office (GPO), in 1920, but to order a telegram by phone. However, France passed down a decision requiring when the Eastern an Associated Telegraph it was only possible to order Western 44 Union telegrams. This had a negative effect on the business of Western Union’s main competitor, the Postal Telegraph Company and both AT&T and Western Union were in danger of government censure, under the Sherman’s Anti – Trust Act. In 1912, Western Union overcame one of its problems with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by leasing all of the Anglo-American cables and the two cables owned by the Direct Company, making it the only real competitor to the CCC. The other problem was resolved, in 1913, by AT&T and Western Union separating completely.

In 1945, Western Union began a merger with its main competitor in the USA, the Postal Telegraph Company. A condition of this merger was that Western Union should separate national and international operations. However, it wasn’t until 1963, that an independent company Western Union International Inc. was incorporated to run the international cable operations and the merger with the Postal Telegraph International permission to lease circuits and installed by Telcon in 1894. They Company completed. In December on trans-Atlantic telephone cables and continued to operate well into the 20th 1961, Western Union appeared before the so, with FCC approval, it abandoned its century; its 1912 leasing agreement with Federal Communications Commission Atlantic telegraph cables in1966; at that Weston Union was final terminated (FCC), with a request that a favourable time, the only cables in working order in 1963, with Western Union paying response to an application by the CCC to were between the USA and Horta in the substantial compensation. It finally went abandon trans-Atlantic telegraph cables Azores. into liquidation on 10th December 1968. be extend to cover a similar Weston Union proposal, if and when made. In December Anglo-American also had a solid core, 1,847nm Atlantic cable, manufactured 45 1965, the FCC finally gave Western Union where it’s never been done before

46 Submarine Networks World 10-12 September 2013 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Conferences Website

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know that this is going to come as Following the loss of the Titanic in April The seventy five members of the crew of the a shock to some of you, but I took a 1912 the White Star Line chartered four Mackay Bennett adopted the child, paying Ivacation at the beginning of July. My ships, of which two were cable ships, CS for his funeral and headstone. He was one family and I traveled south, to Tennessee, Mackay Bennett, owned by the Commercial of forty-four unknown victims buried in the home of country music, Davy Crocket Cable Company and CS Minia owned by Fairview Lawn Cemetery. and, strangely, a museum dedicated to the the Anglo American Telegraph Company Titanic. but operated by Western Union. All those It was incredibly moving to see these recovered were brought to the Mackay artifacts. The highlight of the museum, for The Titanic Museum Attraction is full of Bennett where if it was possible they were me, was a room with a tank of water kept artifacts that were picked up out of the identified and all personal possessions were at 28 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature water several days after the great ship went removed and stored safely. of the water when Titanic sank. That water down. Among these are deck chairs, a was damn cold, and it is amazing that leather suitcase, and for a limited time only, Those identified as first class passengers were even a few survivors were plucked out of a violin owned by Wallace Hartley. That placed in wooden coffins which were stored the ocean. If you are ever in Pigeon Forge, violin, literally, was being played as the aft while third class passengers and crew Tennessee, I highly recommend a visit to pride of the White Star Line began to sink. were wrapped in canvas and placed for'rd. the Titanic Museum Attraction. The amazing thing about these artifacts, In all 328 bodies were recovered including and the reason that I'm writing about my one child. It was thought at the time that this Until next time... trip in this Coda, is that they were mostly was Gösto Leonard Paulson, the youngest of recovered by a submarine cable ship. four sons travelling with their mother Alma Paulson. Of the remainder 119 were buried This is the story, quoted from Bill Burns' at sea of which 60 were unidentified and the excellent atlantic-cable.com website: remaining 209 were taken to Halifax.