TE SubCom, Alcatel-Lucent extend submarine network maintenance services across Northern Pacific

TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) say they will expand their joint maintenance program for submarine optical communication links throughout the Pacific basin. The Pacific End-to-End Maintenance Solution will improve the companies’ ability to maintain and repair undersea cables in the northern Pacific region, the two firms say.

The two companies first allied to serve Pacific submarine cable maintenance needs in 2008, with two cable ships serving the northwestern portion of the region. TE Subcom and Alcatel-Lucent have deployed more ships this year to provide what they assert is now complete coverage for the entire northern Pacific.

“The submarine cable maintenance market currently lacks the necessary flexibility to move resources quickly across regions to where they are needed. This initiative by TE SubCom and Alcatel-Lucent is a step forward to better address cable owners’ service and economic requirements,” said Julian Rawle, managing partner at Pioneer Consulting, a consulting firm that specializes in undersea telecom.