Pacnet plans 100G, OTN upgrade for EAC-C2C subsea network

Asia-Pacific service provider Pacnet says it plans to deploy an optical mesh network with 100-Gbps technology and integrated Optical Transport Network (OTN) switching across its subsea fiber-optic cable network EAC-C2C.

"With the rapid intra-Asia digital content growth continuing to fuel soaring bandwidth demands in the region, this latest initiative is a significant step in strengthening our network services to handle the continued growth of Internet traffic," said Andy Lumsden, chief technology officer of Pacnet. "We are committed to making our infrastructure more agile and efficient, providing a competitive edge for our customers in a rapidly evolving market."

Enabling greater efficiency and capacity management flexibility, the new backbone integrating subsea fiber-optic network infrastructure and terrestrial backhaul links will support pure packet transport technology in the optical core, in addition to the DWDM/SDH technologies currently used by the existing core network. The upgrades are scheduled to begin in early 2013.

"The increase in network capacity will significantly improve the efficiency of data transmission across regional network routes and allow Pacnet to extend and expand its Carrier Ethernet and virtual private-line service capabilities. The upgraded core network will also provide for high-bandwidth connections with speeds up to 100GbE demanded by large carrier and enterprise customers," said Lumsden.

EAC-C2C is a fiber-optic submarine cable network in Asia, spanning 36,800 km with cable landing stations throughout the region including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines, and China. With multiple landing points in most locations, Pacnet says the EAC-C2C provides customers with greater route diversity.

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