By Xtera
Xtera Communications, Inc. was awarded a contract in 2009 by The Americas I North and Columbus 2b consortiums to upgrade the Americas I North Submarine Cable System between Vero Beach, Florida and St. Thomas, USVI; and the Columbus 2b Submarine Cable system between West Palm Beach, Florida and St. Thomas, USVI. On December 22, 2009 the work and acceptance testing was completed, enabling the systems to be placed into service. The two submarine cable systems are the first optically amplified systems and were originally placed in service in 1994 with a single 2.5 Gbit/s channel. A number of submarine cable systems connect St. Thomas to the Caribbean and Central and South America. This upgrade project significantly increases capacity between the United States and the Caribbean. The consortium parties participating in this upgrade are ANTELCOM, AT&T, SETAR, Tricom and Verizon Business.
Xtera's NXT Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE) with advanced 20 Gbit/s Differential Phase Shift Keying (DPSK) technology has been selected for the Americas I North and Columbus 2b upgrade. With a maximum design capacity of 320 Gbit/s per fiber pair for each system, the initial capacity provisioned for each system is 120 Gbit/s.
“The growth of innovative IP-based services such as video applications services requires us to place significantly more bandwidth into service between the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the United States,” said Giovanni Garcia, Chairperson, Americas I North/Columbus 2b Procurement Group. “Xtera's technical solution enables a capacity increase of more than 50 times without replacing expensive submerged plant. Xtera also has the experience and track record of delivering upgrades on subsea networks globally.”
“Selection by the Americas I North and Columbus 2b consortiums reinforces our position as a tier one provider,” said Jon Hopper, President and Chief Executive Officer of Xtera Communications. “These cables are some of the very first optically amplified submarine systems, and it was good to see our solutions working so well. This shows that even older cable systems, which pose difficult technical challenges, can be given a new base and Xtera's specialized equipment and services are designed to solve it.”
The NXT system is highly optimized for operation in the submarine environment, with advanced monitoring capabilities that support rapid system response to faults, low power consumption, high reliability sealed clam-shell circuit packs, and NEBS Zone 4 earthquake compliance. The NXT uses 20 Gbit/s DPSK which greatly increases capacity in existing fiber, while being completely compatible with the existing terminal architecture.
About Xtera Communications
Xtera Communications specializes in network infrastructure that delivers the highest capacity, reach and value. Providing solutions for enterprise and telecom companies, Xtera offers an extensive portfolio of optical and IP networking solutions for submarine, long-haul, regional, metropolitan and enterprise applications. With deployments across five continents, Xtera's optical transport solutions help service providers expand and accelerate their market reach with new deployments and extend the life of existing network assets with cost-effective upgrades. Our IP networking solutions for WAN traffic management deliver efficient, flexible network optimization. Xtera's innovative technologies offer exceptional quality and performance, driving customer success. For more information, visit www.xtera.com.