Undersea Fibre: Lucent Technologies Announces Breakthrough in Undersea Fiber; Signs $200 Million Agreement With Tyco Submarine Systems, Ltd – Product Announcement
Lucent Technologies Thursday unveiled a new undersea fiber that enables network providers to dramatically increase the capacity and transmission speed of trans-oceanic networks. Tyco Submarine Systems Ltd. (TSSL) will be the first to deploy the new fiber, along with Lucent’s bandwidth management system, in a four-year agreement valued at more than $200 million.
The new fiber, called TrueWave XL, is the first of its kind in the industry and represents another major breakthrough in optical fiber from Bell Labs. By developing an undersea fiber that accommodates higher power levels, Lucent can help network providers, like TSSL, dramatically improve the speed and performance of their undersea networks.
Tyco Submarine Systems Ltd. will use Lucent’s equipment in a number of undersea fiber networks that will connect cities around world. According to TSSL, installation of Lucent’s new TrueWave XL Fiber will help it increase the capacity of its worldwide undersea networks by as much as four times, providing speeds up to 10 gigabits per second over each wavelength in the fiber — the fastest transmission speed available for high capacity DWDM trans-oceanic networks.
“The demanding conditions of the undersea environment require a fiber design that is different from terrestrial networks,” said Bill Spivey, President of Lucent’s Network Products Group. “Our Bell Labs scientists have developed an economical and practical fiber optic solution which will help customers, like Tyco Submarine Systems, to dramatically improve the performance and capacity of their undersea networks.”
Lucent’s revolutionary bandwidth management system single-handedly routes all the traffic – voice, ATM, Internet protocol and video — being handled by today’s largest network central offices and can save carriers up to 60 percent in equipment costs alone. Designed by Bell Labs, Lucent’s WaveStar BandWidth Manager also features an innovative SONET/SDH ring protection capability for very long-distance undersea applications. This feature ensures cost-effective service reliability in the event of a trans-oceanic fiber cut.
TSSL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tyco International Ltd. [NYSE:TYC – news], is the only independent, vertically integrated worldwide supplier of undersea communication systems and services. TSSL has successfully designed, manufactured and installed approximately 265,000 kilometers of undersea cable systems. Additionally, TSSL operates a fleet of eight cable ships and owns cable, repeater and transmission equipment facilities, which are all dedicated to the production of undersea optical fiber communications systems. More information about TSSL is available on its Web site at http://www.submarinesystems.com.
Lucent is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of fiber for undersea networks with over a billion meters of fibers sold. Lucent said its new undersea fiber is currently in production at the company’s optical fiber manufacturing facility in Atlanta, Ga. FMI: http://www.lucent.com.
COPYRIGHT 1998 EDGE Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
