Xtera to supply Seaborn Networks with C+L Band technology for ARBR submarine network

Subsea systems technology provider Xtera says Seaborn Networks has requested the supply of C+L Band technology for the upcoming ARBR submarine network. The ARBR undersea cable network will connect São Paulo and Buenos Aires (see "Seaborn Networks chooses Xtera for ARBR submarine network systems"), with onward connectivity to New York via Seaborn's Seabras-1 system (see "Seabras-1 undersea cable system between Brazil and New York nearly ready for service").

As the term implies, C+L Band technology enables optical transmission in both the C and L bands. Use of the two bands enables a fiber to carry significantly more wavelengths than use of the C-Band alone, thus delaying fiber exhaust.

Xtera will provide its wideband repeater, which features a hybrid Raman/EDFA design that will accommodate transmission across both bands. The company says its Raman-enabled repeater systems have been used already to support bandwidths of approximately 70 nm with what the company says is very low noise.

"We work constantly with our partners and customers in this dynamic Latin American market to develop subsea cable systems that meet their future bandwidth demands," says Larry Schwartz, chairman and CEO of Seaborn. "Use of Xtera's technology on the ARBR system will allow Seaborn to offer the most advanced system under the sea with on-demand capacities of up to 44 Tbps per fiber pair. Disruptive innovation like this resonates with our content provider customers and positions us to respond to their needs well into the future."

Separately, Seaborn says that it will be able to choose which fiber pairs transmit in both bands rather than in the C-Band alone. Thus, it can customize its infrastructure to provide the most cost-efficient transport (using just the C-Band) or one that maximizes capacity (via both bands), depending upon the needs of individual customers.

The ARBR cable project is fully funded and on an accelerated implementation schedule, according to the two companies.

For related articles, visit the Network Design Topic Center.

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.