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wiredInUSA - November 2016
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Facebook, Microsoft and TE SubCom
have announced that TE SubCom will
be the system supply partner for the
new Marea submarine cable across the
Atlantic Ocean.
TE SubCom has completed the route
survey, and manufacture of the system
has begun at its facility in Newington, New
Hampshire. Cable laying will start next
year, with a scheduled completion date
of October 2017.
As announced by Facebook and
Microsoft in May 2016, Marea is
anticipated to have the highest capacity
of any Atlantic subsea cable, featuring
eight fiber-pairs and an initial estimated
design capacity of 160Tb per second.
The new 6,600km submarine cable system
will also be the first to connect the US to
southern Europe, landing in Bilbao, Spain.
Led by Facebook and Microsoft, TE SubCom
is constructing Marea to be interoperable
with a wide variety of network equipment.
This new open design brings significant
benefits for customers, including lower
costs and easier equipment upgrades
as the system can evolve at the pace of
developments within optical technology.
Aaron Stucki, president of TE SubCom,
said: “We look forward to working with
Microsoft and Facebook on what will be
a highly advanced and scalable new
system.”
“This is one example of how Microsoft
collaborates with industry leaders to drive
innovation and build the next generation
infrastructure of the Internet. Marea will
offer better connections to users in Europe
and beyond,” said Frank Rey, director,
global network acquisition, Microsoft
Corp.
Atlantic crossing