TE SubCom brings C+L optical transmission for submarine networks to production

TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, says the C+L optical transmission technology it has touted in recent submarine network contract award announcements (see, for example, "Facebook, Google, PLDC back construction of the Pacific Light Cable Network") has reached the production stage. As its name implies, the transmission approach leverages both the C-Band and L-Band, effectively doubling the wavelength capacity of approaches that only use the C-Band.

The company says that the repeater technology should reach deployed and activated status in 2018 (which is when the Pacific Light Cable Network referenced above is scheduled to go live, for example).

TE SubCom says it opens the L-Band for use via a second length of Erbium-doped fiber in its undersea repeaters. The additional Erbuim-doped fiber provides amplification and support for wavelengths on the long-wavelength side of the traditional C-Band. The efficient use of optical spectrum will reduce the number of fiber pairs new systems may require, improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness, TE SubCom adds.

Transatlantic undersea cable systems equipped with C+L technology and eight fiber pairs will enjoy up to 325 Tbps of capacity, the company asserts. The significant capacity increase will result in lower cost per transported bit, TE SubCom says.

"This is a significant milestone for our company, as we believe we're providing our customers with the bandwidth and capacity that they need to power today's networks, within a system that is reliable, cost-effective, and ready for implementation," said Neal Bergano, vice president and chief technology officer, TE SubCom.

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