Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN) says it has supplied its ICE6 800G coherent optical technology within GX Series platforms to double the capacity of the Unity Submarine Cable System. The 9,620-km Unity subsea network connects Japan and the U.S. and is backed by a consortium that comprises Bharti Airtel Ltd., Global Transit Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of TIME), Google, KDDI Corp., Telstra, and Singtel.
The upgrade should increase the life span of the submarine cable by nearly 25% while increasing capacity to up to 7.4 Tbps per fiber pair, Infinera states. The ICE6 approach leverages Nyquist subcarriers, forward error correction gain sharing, and photonic integrated circuit-based technology.
“Infinera’s innovative ICE6 technology was selected to upgrade our system because it enables us to extend the life of the Unity Submarine Cable System while providing the highest level of quality for our customers,” said the Unity consortium. “The Unity Submarine Cable System is a critical connection between two continents with the fastest growing bandwidth needs. We needed an industry-leading solution that would enable us to be competitive now and in the future.”
“The Unity Submarine Cable System is one of the highest-capacity underwater fiber optic cables ever built between Asia and North America, and Infinera is proud to power it with our latest optical engine technology,” said Nick Walden, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Infinera. “The increased capacity will help operators in Asia and the U.S. meet the increasing bandwidth demands on both sides of the Pacific.”
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