61 j a n Voice 2012 of the ISSn 1948-3031 Industry Global Outlook Edition In This Issue: 2012: The Year of the Upgrade a Coherent Plan For Capacity Upgrades The Lit and the Pendulum: Will 2012 Bring a Paradigm Shift in the Fiber World? ISSN No. 1948-3031 PUBLISHER: Wayne Nielsen MANAGING EDITOR: Kevin G. Summers elcome to Issue 61, our Global for the virtue of your pride. Fight for the essence, Outlook edition. On the plane which is man, for his sovereign rational mind. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Stewart Ash, over to Pacific Telecommunications Fight with the radiant certainty and the absolute James Case, Jean Devos, John Hibbard, Brian W Conference this week, I finished reading Ayn rectitude of knowing that yours is the morality of Lavallée, Neil Tagare Rand’s epic masterpiece, Atlas Shrugged, life and yours is the battle for any achievement, Submarine Telecoms Forum magazine is with which I had toiled happily for some any value, any grandeur, any goodness, any joy published bimonthly by Submarine Telecoms time. I am glad I read this book at precisely that has ever existed on this earth.” Forum, Inc., and is an independent commercial this point in my career and not far earlier, as publication, serving as a freely accessible some grade-seeking student; I think having a In the general malaise we see certainly from forum for professionals in industries connected few gray hairs, double-digit years behind me, my window in the States, these are fighting, with submarine optical fiber technologies and and none too few scars afforded me a much uplifting words, and whether you agree techniques. Submarine Telecoms Forum may deeper appreciation for what Rand was trying entirely or not, I think Atlas Shrugged is not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, to convey. thought-provoking, amazing, inspirational, in whole or in part, without the permission of motivational; after all, “Who is John Galt?” the publishers. Her philosophy, embodied in this massive tome, promotes that the proper moral purpose Should you be attending PTC 2012, please Liability: while every care is taken in come by our booth to say hello; and as always, preparation of this publication, the publishers of one’s life is the pursuit of one’s own cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of happiness (or rational self-interest) and that save me a seat at the Mai Tai Bar. the information herein, or any errors which the only social system consistent with this may occur in advertising or editorial content, morality is full respect for individual rights or any consequence arising from any errors embodied in laissez-faire capitalism. or omissions, and the editor reserves the right to edit any advertising or editorial material My Milton Friedman Monetarist upbringing submitted for publication. liked that. Contributions are welcomed. Please forward She concluded her last public speech in 1981 to the Managing Editor at editor@subtelforum. com. quoting these words from her hero: Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc. “The world you desired can be won, it exists, 21495 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 201 it is real, it is possible, it’s yours. But to win it Sterling, Virginia 20166, USA requires total dedication and a total break with the subtelforum.com world of your past, with the doctrine that man is a sacrificial animal who exists for the pleasure of 2 Copyright © 2012 Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc. others. Fight for the value of your person. Fight In This Issue... Exordium 2 Through The Looking Glass: 22 Conferences 40 Wayne Nielsen The "Perceived" Future of the Submarine Cable Letter to a Friend 41 News Now 4 Jean Devos ICPC Call for Papers 25 2012: The Year of the Upgrade 7 Advertiser Index 43 Group Buying Of Bandwidth 27 A Coherent Plan 12 Is Now A Reality Coda 44 For Capacity Upgrades Neil Tagare Kevin G. Summers Brian Lavallée The Industry Needs 34 The Lit and the Pendulum: 18 Its Champion Will 2012 Bring a Paradigm John Hibbard Shift in the Fiber World? James Case Back Reflection 37 Stewart Ash 3 news now AP Telecom Appointed as Arctic Fibre’s Pre- MMT awarded survey contract in the Sales Manager for International Bangladesh Mediterranean between Italy and Malta cableco to be listed in 2012 New Submarine Cable Between Iceland And Chunghwa Telecom to participate in Asia- U.S. Attractive For Datacenters Pacific Gateway submarine network NTT Com Signs Contract for Asia Pacific Dhiraagu begins laying 1253 km of fibre optic Gateway Network cable Pacnet Wins Best Pan-Asian Carrier Award Du: Submarine cable cut in Suez repaired Reliance Globalcom sets up world’s first high- speed data link Fintel to construct $40M cable to connect Suva with Nuku’alofa Maroc Telecom launches Loukkos fibre optic cable to Spain Sea Fibre Networks commences long awaited WFN Strategies to participate at PTC’12 lay of CeltixConnect a 15m subsea network investment for the most data driven island in WFN Strategies To Support New Arctic Fibre Europe SeeByte & SMD Come Together to Offer Submarine Cable System Advanced Control for Work-Class ROVs WIOCC is first to provide seamless low-latency SubTel Forum to Moderate PTC’12 Submarine network from Africa to Europe Cable Panel TE SubCom and Gulf Bridge International announce completion of works of GBI cable system TE SubCom Completes First 40G Upgrade Of A Trans-Pacific Cable System The new EUROPA Cable System will provide resilient bridge between Europe and the Middle East Wasace submarine cable headed SA’s way 6 2012: The Year of the Upgrade 7 new year is finally upon us, . Arctic Fibre is a 15,000 km submarine Systems in Development: cable that will bridge the digital divide and the global economy is still ACE struggling to regain its feet after between Canada’s Nunavut and A North West Territories and the rest of ALASIA several years of recession. After a year in which the president of Egypt ordered southern Canada by providing a link Alexandros an internet shutdown, Japan was from the Japan/United Kingdom fiber ANTEL south to Clarenville, Newfoundland devastated by a major earthquake and Arctic Fibre where onward connections can be the United States announced the formal made to terrestrial North American Arctic Link end to the Iraq war, the submarine cable networks. The network will also Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) industry sailed forward as always. provide much-needed bandwidth Asia Submarine Express (ASE) At least eight submarine cables were to Canada’s Department of National Australia-Singapore (ASC) activated in 2011, and at least twenty Defense and the new Canadian High new systems were announced during Arctic Research Station (CHARS) that Axin the year. The real story in 2011, however, are situated at Cambridge Bay. Batam-Dumai-Melaka was system upgrades. At least twenty BLAST current systems have been upgraded or . Arctic Cable Company is an Dhiraagu-Maldives CS were announced as an upgrade plan in international consortium to finance, Emerald Express design and construct the Arctic Link, order to extend system life. EUROPA the submarine fiber optic cable system spanning the arctic regions from Asia Europe Persia Express Gateway (EPEG) Systems In Development to Europe with a regeneration site in GOKI North America located in Alaska. Interchange Cable Network (ICN) There are currently some 30 submarine Kinmen-Xiamen cable systems in development. The WASACE cable will connect LION-2 Interestingly, there are presently two Africa, Europe, North America and planned competitive systems that, upon South America. This system is aiming Pacific Fibre completion, will connect Europe, North to deploy the first trans-Atlantic 100 Palapa Ring America and Japan via the Northwest Gbp/s submarine cable route. The Project Express Passage. These systems, Arctic Fibre and project is divided into four sections: SAEx WASACE North connecting Europe Arctic Link, each span a huge portion of SJC the globe and will provide low latency, to North America; WASACE South connecting South America to Africa; Suva-Nuku’alofa secure routes from Japan to the United WASACE America connecting South Tonga-Fiji Kingdom. Of the systems currently in America to North America; and WASACE development, several are worth taking a WASACE Africa connecting Nigeria, West Africa Cable System (WACS) moment to consider: Angola and South Africa. West Africa Regional Communications 8 Infrastructure Programme (WARCIP) In Service 2011: early-2000s are coming up for upgrades Brian Lavallée, Director of Submarine CeltixConnect now a decade later. Let’s also consider Networks Industry Marketing for Ciena Gulf Bridge International (GBICS) some of these systems: said: “Coherent 40G/100G optical transmission is allowing undersea cable Hawk . operators to quickly and cost-effectively LIME EASSy is a 10,000km submarine fibre- optic cable system deployed along breathe new life into their existing Matram-Kupang the east and south coast of Africa and 10G-based wet plant assets. A fourfold Pencan-8 is the highest capacity system serving to tenfold increase in channel capacities TE North sub-Saharan Africa, with a 4.72Tbps, raises the total capacity of deployed Zimbabwe-Mozambique 2 fibre-pair configuration. The system submarine cables to levels that far was upgraded in December 2011 by surpass their original maximum design Cable & Wireless. Some very interesting details come to capacities. This allows for improved light when we explore these statistics regionally. Fifteen planned systems . Southern Cross is approximately are set to land, all or in part, in the 28,900 km in length, with landings in System Upgrades 2011 & Beyond Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji Australasia region, nine are set to land AAG and the US mainland. The company in the European/Mediterranean region, announced a a 400G capacity upgrade APCN2 eight in the Americas and five in the with Ciena in October 2011.