Ciena touts upgrade of Europe India Gateway submarine cable system
Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) says it has assisted in a recently completed upgrade of the Europe India Gateway (EIG) submarine cable system. Among other features, the upgrade enables the operators of the EIG undersea network to leverage express wavelengths. Also known as optical bypass, the use of express wavelengths reduces operational costs and space and power requirements while improving reliability, Ciena asserts.
The EIG submarine cable system runs 15,000 km and links the United Kingdom with Gibraltar, Portugal, Monaco, France, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and India. It is backed by a consortium formed in May 2008 that included AT&T; Bharti Airtel; BT; C&W; Djibouti Telecom; du; Gibtelecom; Libyan Post, Telecom, and Information Technology Company (LPTIC); MTN Group Ltd.; Omantel; PT Comunicacoes, S.A.; Saudi Telecom Company; Telecom Egypt; Telkom SA Ltd.; and Verizon Business. Two companies were contracted to construction the system, one of which was Alcatel-Lucent (see “Alcatel-Lucent to build Atlantic-Mediterranean segment of EIG subsea network”). EIG became ready for service in 2011.
The most recent upgrade has seen Ciena supply its GeoMesh portfolio, including optical transmission capabilities based on the WaveLogic Ai coherent optical engine. The enhancement boosts system capacity by 24.3 Tbps and increases spectral efficiency by 52%, according to Ciena. It also adds the ability to accommodate 400-Gbps wavelengths.
“Ciena continues to support upgrades to the EIG cable, one of the primary data connections between India and Europe, and the Middle East and Africa,” commented David Moore, management committee chair of the Europe India Gateway. “The EIG transports significant quantities of data between consumers and businesses and we continue to evolve its capacity to support both present and future requirements.”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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