Tyco tapped for third upgrade of Sea-Me-We 3 undersea network

August 7, 2006 Morristown, NJ -- Tyco Telecommunications, a business unit of Tyco Electronics, has been selected by SEA-ME-WE 3 (SMW3) Consortium to implement the third upgrade to segment S6 of the SMW3 network as part of a global system upgrade. The network, which Tyco Telecommunications constructed for the consortium in 1999, is connecting Djibouti, Jeddah, and Suez.

"The second upgrade was completed six months ago, which demonstrates the growth of the telecommunications market between Asia and Europe," reports Alain Paul LeClerc, Axiom CEO, acting as chairman of SMW3 Procurement Group. "Tyco Telecommunications' intimate knowledge of the system and technological leadership was integral to identifying the strongest partner to complete the third, and most powerful, upgrade to the system," he says. "Based on mutual understanding and constructive relations, we have expedited the contract quickly and will begin implementation immediately."

The upgrade will provide 20 Gbits/sec of new capacity for the express path and 40 Gbits/sec for the local path, totaling a respective 95 and 72.5 Gbits/sec connectivity on the entire system. Tyco Telecommunications' G3 SLTE technology will maximize the bandwidth of the system's wavelength design, increasing capacity and speed between both the major traffic and local intermediate points, say Tyco representatives.

"We are pleased to strengthen our existing relationship with the SMW3 Consortium," contends Bill Marra, vice president and general manager of Tyco Telecommunications. "The request for additional capacity on the SMW3 network so shortly after its previous upgrade demonstrates the growth potential in this market and the impeccable service provided by SMW3 owners. The unique design of this system optimization demonstrates Tyco Telecommunications' ability to provide the most advanced technologies to facilitate creative solutions."