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Cyta’s Undersea Cable Hub in the Eastern Mediterranean

By Andreas Ioannou, Head of International Networks Promotion, Cytaglobal

and Egypt and thereafter with the rest of the world. This cable network uses state-of-the-art technology and full restoration and diversity and currently includes the following undersea fibre optic systems that land in Cyprus at three separate cable Andreas Ioannou, stations, namely Ayia Napa, and Yeroskipos: Head of International Networks Promotion, Cytaglobal • CIOS: a repeaterless SDH cable system connecting Cyprus yprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta) is directly with Israel. the primary telecommunications provider in • CADMOS: a repeaterless cable system of SDH technology CCyprus. Its product portfolio covers the whole connecting Cyprus directly with two separate landing spectrum of electronic communications ranging stations in Lebanon. from fixed and mobile telephony to internet service • UGARIT: a repeaterless SDH cable system directly provision and broadband applications. Cyta, through connecting Cyprus and Syria and via terrestrial its strategic business unit Cytaglobal, is particularly extensions, with Jordan. UGARIT and CADMOS systems active in the area of international undersea fibre optic together with the cable system (Beirut – cables, providing wholesale products and services on a Tartous) are fully integrated into a secure self-healing global basis, and has established Cyprus as a regional ring, interconnecting Cyprus with Lebanon and Syria. telecommunications hub in the Eastern Mediterranean. Taking advantage of the island’s strategic geographical ALASIA will link Cyprus and Syria and add an alternate position, Cytaglobal has developed an extensive undersea route to the Ugarit system which already connects the two fibre optic cable network, which connects Cyprus with the countries. Alasia will also interconnect with Alexandros

neighbouring countries of Greece, Italy, Israel, Syria, Lebanon subsystem on the TE North cable network to provide onward t

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t connectivity to Europe and other destinations. The cable is Cyta achieves an optimum configuration for its business expected to be ready for service by the first quarter of 2016. needs, enhancing connectivity in the Mediterranean and providing international network robustness and reliability. • SEA ME WE 3: southwards via Egypt, to the Middle East • ATHENA: a private cable subsystem wholly owned and the Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia, China by Cyta, connecting Cyprus with Greece. The and Australia, and westwards to Europe, traversing the subsystem consists of two integrated rings, one ring is Mediterranean and North Sea, all the way to Germany. interconnecting the islands of Cyprus, Crete and Sicily This cable system has been upgraded several times and the other ring is interconnecting Crete with the Greek and now consists of two fibre pairs each carrying 48 mainland, terminating in Athens. The ATHENA subsystem wavelengths operating at 10 Gb/s, linking the Pacific represents a major deployment of additional capacity in Rim, South East Asia, the Middle East and Western the Eastern Mediterranean, providing further extensions Europe, through a multitude of landing stations in many to Western Europe via Catania in Sicily, but also to Eastern countries. Its total length of about 40,000 km makes it the Europe via Athens, including a wet route to Turkey. The longest undersea optical fibre cable network in the world. ATHENA subsystem can bridge via Cyprus, the Middle • LEV: a state-of-the-art cable system connecting Cyprus East region with Europe and beyond. eastwards with Israel and westwards with Italy, and • POSEIDON: a subsea cable system developed by Cyta and thereafter via the MED NAUTILUS cable system to Radius Oceanic Communications to serve the offshore oil Greece, Turkey and the rest of Europe. and gas industry in the Mediterranean. • : an independent private cable subsystem forming a direct self-healing ring between Cyprus and Two high capacity coastal links TEFKROS and KINYRAS, Italy, and through Telecom Italia Sparkle Pan-European interconnect all Cyta’s landing stations in Cyprus, thereby networks, connecting to the rest of Europe, the US and securing all-wet routes for regional and international traffic. beyond. The MINERVA subsystem interconnects two The two coastal links are further protected with terrestrial landing stations in Cyprus (Yeroskipos and Pantaskhinos) SDH self-healing rings. As a major co-owner and Network directly with two landing stations in Italy (Mazara and Administrator of undersea cable systems, Cytaglobal Catania), providing superior quality and protection. The facilitates the acquisition of capacity on systems landing in MINERVA subsystem uses a dedicated express fibre pair Cyprus. Through Cytaglobal, owners of capacity in such cable with 10 Gb/s DWDM wavelengths on the MED NAUTILUS systems, have access to considerable reserve capacity in other cable system, directly connecting Cyprus and Italy, undersea cables connecting Cyprus to rapidly developing completely bypassing Turkey, Greece and Israel. The neighbouring countries. Cytaglobal is continuously evaluating MINERVA subsystem is operated and managed by MED the connection of Cyprus to other planned fibre optic NAUTILUS for the sole use of Cytaglobal and its customers. networks the world over. By co-owning, buying or leasing • ALEXANDROS: a private cable subsystem wholly owned capacity, we participate in many other regional and global by Cyta, consisting of a fibre pair between Cyprus-Egypt undersea cable systems such as AC1, CELTIC, COLUMBUS III, and a fibre pair between Cyprus-France, implemented MED NAUTILUS, SAT3, TAT 14 and OTRANTO-CORFU. through Telecom Egypt’s undersea cable system Through its superior global network, Cytaglobal provides TE-NORTH (TEN), connecting Egypt with France, and a wide range of international telecommunications products, through Pan-European networks, connecting to the rest services and total solutions, making Cyprus a major of Europe and beyond. The ALEXANDROS subsystem telecommunications hub in the Eastern Mediterranean and interconnects Yeroskipos landing station in Cyprus with an excellent regional electronic communications centre. Abu Talat in Egypt and Marseilles in France, each direction with 80x40Gb/s total capacity, providing a bridge between For more information please visit: East and West. Employing ALEXANDROS subsystem and www.cyta.com.cy | www.cytaglobal.com leveraging its strategic co-operation with Telecom Egypt,

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