Spark New Zealand improves routing options with inter-island submarine cable network upgrade

Spark New Zealand says they have completed an upgrade to the Nelson-Levin inter-island submarine cable link. According to the service provider, the cable link upgrade provides improved connectivity to New Zealand, particularly between the North and South islands.

Installed by Spark in 2001, the Nelson-Levin cable link is 237 km long and connects Levin and Nelson, including a 212-km submarine network section from Nelson's Cable Bay to Levin's Hokio Beach. Cable Bay was the landing site of New Zealand's first international telegraph cable to Sydney. The landing site was built in 1876.

The Nelson-to-Levin cable link is one of New Zealand's three submarine cables carrying data traffic between the North and South islands (two of which are part of Spark's network). The Spark network inter-island upgrade included installation of enhanced optical transport technology at the landing point in Nelson's Cable Bay.

"The completion of this upgrade improves the resiliency of our network particularly between the North and South Islands, as the Nelson-to-Levin cable isshallow buried rather than laid on the surface of the sea floor, and is away from known fault lines," Campbell Fraser, Spark's GM Technology Infrastructure. "In emergency situations, it gives us more options for routing traffic and keeping people connected."

Spark says its network upgrade will build resiliency across the Cook Strait, and secure connectivity between the North and South islands. If one or both of the other inter-island cables fail, traffic can be re-routed to this cable, the company attests.

For related articles, visit the Network Design Topic Center.

For more information on high-speed transmission systems and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer's Guide.