H2 Cable to connect Australia with Hong Kong, U.S. with submarine network
Singapore-based H2 Cable has signed a contract with SubCom for construction of the H2 submarine network. The submarine cable will connect Australia and Hong Kong to offer direct access to China. The undersea fiber system will branch to several locations, including Hawaii and Los Angeles.
The 9,200-km main branch of the H2 submarine cable will support 15 Tbps per fiber pair between Sydney and Hong Kong. The 12,500-km branch between Sydney and Los Angeles will support 12.9 Tbps per fiber pair across what H2 asserts is a fully diverse route to the north of New Caledonia, the first of its kind. Other branches will connect Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Island, Guam, and Queensland (see map above).
“Growing capacity requirements and new traffic patterns emerging within the Asia-Pacific region require the deployment of innovative and versatile submarine infrastructures,” stated Remi Galasso, chairman of H2. “The H2 cable, with its north and east segments, has been designed to deliver direct connectivity through new subsea paths and provide optimal diversity. We are excited to be at the forefront of this development.”
“We are pleased to partner with SubCom and are confident their superior technology and operational excellence will enable a smooth system deployment,” added Georges Krebs, CEO of H2. “H2 will bring the necessary boost in connectivity to Australia, which has one of the fastest-growing international traffic streams in the world.”
Galasso and Krebs are also part of the team behind the Hawaiki transpacific cable (see “Hawaiki Submarine Cable system ready for service”). Galasso is founder and CEO and Krebs is vice president, network and technology for Hawaiki. That submarine cable system connects Sydney to the U.S. via a landing station in Oregon.
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher
Stephen Hardy has covered fiber optics for more than 15 years, and communications and technology for more than 30 years. He is responsible for establishing and executing Lightwave's editorial strategy across its digital magazine, website, newsletters, research and other information products. He has won multiple awards for his writing.
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