Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX) has announced that its International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers in Singapore and throughout six Australia metros, including the Perth Cable Landing Station (CLS) and points of presence (PoP) in Sydney and Melbourne, will link to the Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) system.
According to Equinix, the ASC is the first 40-Tbps submarine cablesystem between Australia and Asia. The ASC system's deployment is backed by Vocus, and the undersea cable offers approximately 30% less latency from Sydney to Singapore compared to existing routes (see "Australia Singapore Cable deployment reportedly ahead of schedule").
As Singapore grows and becomes a major Asian logistics, trade, and manufacturing center, business between Australia and Singapore expands. The ASC will supply businesses with capacity needed to accommodate increasing data consumption, with reduced latency and cost, between the two locations. With the ASC system's accessibility, the cable will add more PoPs to Equinix facilities in Singapore, as well as the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, and Adelaide. It will also tap into over 155 networks by connecting in these cities, as well as Perth.
Equinix says it will be able to address customer demands for interconnection and networking capabilities between Australia and Southeast Asia through this extended access, combined with the CLS in Perth. The 4,600-km submarine cable system will feature four fiber pairs and an initial design capacity of 40 Tbps, with support of 100-Gbps wavelengths.
Originally scheduled to conclude deployment September 2018, the ASC is now expected to be completed and operational by the first quarter of 2019, says Equinix. The new pathway from Western Australia to Southeast Asia, along with additional capacity, will strengthen Australia's internet environment.
Direct access to ASC in Singapore and Australia will enable Equinix customers to expand business in Australia and Southeast Asia, and connect to global markets and ecosystems through direct and private access to over 275 cloud providers, service providers, and business partners.
According to Equinix, data traffic worldwide should hit 3.3 zettabytes by 2021, with nearly every byte reaching a subsea cable. To meet this rapidly increasing need for subsea cables through data center design, partnerships, and acquisitions, Equinix says it will continue with its submarine cable projects, including the following networks:
· Southern Cross Cable Network (California - Sydney)
· AEConnect-1 (New York - London)
· Hibernia Express (New York - London)
· C-Lion1 (Germany - Finland)
· Cinia (Germany - Finland)
· Trident (Australia - Indonesia - Singapore)
· Globenet (Florida - Brazil)
· Asia Pacific Gateway (China - Hong Kong - Japan - South Korea - Malaysia - Taiwan - Thailand - Vietnam - Singapore)
· Hawaiki Cable Ltd. (U.S. – Australia – New Zealand)
· Gulf Bridge International Cable (Middle East - Europe)
· Eastern Light (Nordic region)
· FASTER (U.S. West Coast - Japan)
· Seabras-1 (New York - Sao Paulo)
· Monet (Florida - Brazil)
· MAREA (U.S. East Coast – Spain)
· BRUSA (U.S. East Coast – Brazil)
The ASC announcement follows the Equinix acquisition of Metronode, which extended its data centers into new markets in Perth, Canberra, Adelaide, and Brisbane, and facilities in Sydney and Melbourne as well (see "Equinix acquires Metronode equity interests to expand footprint in Australia").
"We are delighted that Equinix is expanding the reach and availability of the ASC cable by connecting it directly into nine of their sites across Australia and Singapore," said Kevin Russell, Vocus CEO. "The Vocus terrestrial network has vast reach throughout Australia, New Zealand, and now into Asia. Combining the extensive interconnection ecosystems in Equinix, with the far-reaching Vocus network, we will provide customers with easy and low-cost access to all of their partners from Singapore to major metropolitan cities in Australia."
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