Unity Submarine Cable System doubles capacity via Infinera’s ICE6 800G
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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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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