Telstra Global upgrades three submarine networks via Infinera

Australia-based Telstra Global has turned to its primary provider of optical transport systems, Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), to upgrade three submarine cable links. The announcement comes shortly after Infinera revealed that it also would upgrade the Australia Japan Cable submarine network (see "Australia Japan Cable submarine network adds Infinera DTN-X"); Telstra is a member of that undersea cable system’s ownership consortium.

The three networks covered in this most recent announcement include Telstra Endeavour, a 9124-km submarine network that links Sydney and Hawaii; Telstra Global’s designated fiber pair on the Asia America Gateway (AAG), which runs from Hawaii to California; and Reach North Asia Loop (RNAL), a 9000-km system that connects Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

Telstra Endeavour initiated service in 2008, using equipment from Alcatel-Lucent. That company received a contract to upgrade the AAG last fall (see “Alcatel-Lucent to upgrade Asia America Gateway”); however, the consortium agreement allows each member to manage and provision its own fiber pair, and Telstra Global chose to continue to work with Infinera (see “Telstra Global, Infinera demo soft-decision FEC over Hawaii to California submarine link”). RNAL, meanwhile, has been using Infinera’s DTN system to provide 40-Gbps capabilities. Those systems will remain in place alongside the new DTN-X packet-optical transport systems, according to Infinera sources.

“As a trusted network supplier, our job is to ensure we are adapting and creating capacity where it is required,” commented Darrin Webb, COO at Telstra Global. “Demand for network services in the Asia-Pacific region is growing exponentially, and the addition of Infinera’s DTN-X platform means we will be well placed to meet the speed and capacity needs of our customers.

“We are continually developing our network to meet customers’ requirements and this is just one of the projects we are working on to ensure our network is always growing, improving, and providing world class services,” Webb concluded.

The addition of the DTN-X capabilities to the three submarine cable systems will enable Telstra Global to deploy reliable, differentiated services while reducing capital and operating expenses, Infinera says.

“As global businesses turn to cloud-based offerings, we’re seeing increasing demand for reliable, global connectivity,” added Dr. David Welch, Infinera CTO, co-founder, and president. “We are delighted to build on our existing relationship with Telstra Global to deploy an Intelligent Transport Network across these major submarine routes.”

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