Lumen launches service between U.S. and France via Dunant submarine cable

Aug. 3, 2021

The new subsea route comes as the company also announced an expansion of its European fiber-optic network footprint.

Lumen launches new on-net undersea fiber route between U.S. and France via Dunant submarine cable.

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) says it will use Google’s Dunant submarine cable to add a new on-net connection between Richmond, VA, and Paris, France, this September. The new subsea route comes as the company also announced an expansion of its European fiber-optic network footprint (see “Lumen expands fiber network in France, Switzerland, and Spain”).

The route will offer connectivity between the Washington, DC, data center corridor and Paris, with onward connectivity to European hubs such as Frankfurt, Germany. Lumen says it will make available optional diversity, latency, and custom routing guarantees.

Dunant, which became ready for service this past February, leverages space-division multiplexing technology across its 12 fiber pairs to enable a capacity of 250 Tbps (see “Google’s Dunant SDM-enabled submarine cable system ready for service”). "No other subsea cable route comes close to the capacity levels traversing the trans-Atlantic," said TeleGeography Research Director Alan Mauldin via a Lumen press release. "Looking forward, there's no question that tremendous new capacity will be required on this route. Lumen's decision to increase their capacity across the Atlantic makes a world of sense."

"We're in an era of 'more.' The need for more online content, more applications and more cloud services between continents won't diminish anytime soon," commented Laurinda Pang, Lumen president, global customer success. "That's why this subsea infrastructure is so important. The capacity Lumen will be offering on the Dunant subsea cable can be scaled to meet increased customer broadband demands for years to come. With our comprehensive trans-Atlantic subsea portfolio, customers will enjoy diverse routes, low latency, and a connection to one of the most interconnected and deeply peered networks in the world."

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About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

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