Alcatel Nearly Doubles the Capacity of FLAG Atlantic-1 System With Its Optinex DWDM Technology - Company Business and Marketing

Cambridge Telcom Report, Oct 18, 1999

Alcatel has been awarded by FLAG Atlantic Limited, a 50:50 joint venture between FLAG Telecom and Global TeleSystems Group Inc., a contract to deliver the first dual transatlantic system to provide a traffic capacity of 2.4 Terabit/s. This capacity will be delivered on each of the two cables and represents the highest capacity so far available on a six fibre pair transoceanic system. This major enhancement to the capacity of the FLAG Atlantic-1 system, which 10 months ago was the first terabit undersea cable to be announced world-wide, demonstrates again Alcatel's market leading technology in DWDM which responds to the accelerating demands for bandwidth globally.

Jean Godeluck, Chief Operating Officer for the submarine networks activities of Alcatel, commented: "We have worked closely with the FLAG team and have taken full advantage of Alcatel's in-house research and development capability. We have again been able to provide FLAG Atlantic-1 with the competitive edge that comes from a technology offer which anticipates our customer's needs and leads the industry. Alcatel has been able to further build on this strength through its comprehensive turnkey approach, which has left FA-1 free to focus on its own customers."

FLAG Atlantic-1 will be a loop system, connecting the East Coast of the United States, with nodes in Manhattan, to two landings in Europe - one in Saint Brieuc, France and the other in Cornwall, UK with nodes in Paris and London respectively. A direct connection between London and Paris will also be established, using fibre through the Channel Tunnel. The system is planned to consist of three self-healing, high capacity loops with twin terrestrial access points connecting to GTS TEN (Trans European Network), as well as to the existing FLAG cable system, which stretches over 28,000 kilometres from the UK to Japan. Customers on FLAG Atlantic-1 will be able to add traffic either at the Landing Stations or at the city nodes.

This configuration which is based on two widely separated cables crossing the Atlantic with independent landfalls at each end offers full redundancy from city to city.

The two sub-sea sections of the cable are approximately 6,000 kilometres and 6,500 kilometres respectively, while the two terrestrial rings are approximately 120 kilometres and 1850 kilometres in length. This gives an overall system length of around 14,500 kilometres. "Alcatel and FLAG Atlantic-1 were able to develop a team approach which meant that problems were dealt with as they arose. Without a doubt, it was this team approach that has kept us ahead of the market in terms of the implementation programme and service offering" said John Draheim of FLAG Telecom. Steve Andrews of GTS added: "We are pleased with the flexibility that Alcatel has shown. The contract that we signed in January proved to be the starting point for developing the system and not a rigid document as is so often the case."

Alcatel developed the technology for the FLAG Atlantic-1 system in its laboratories in France and England where it employs 2,000 people in the largest and most advanced facilities in the industry. Alcatel will engineer and implement the FLAG Atlantic-1 system from the first desk-based study of the route that the cables will take across the ocean, to the training of FA's staff on the operation and maintenance of the equipment. The FLAG Atlantic-1 system to be provided by Alcatel is designed from the start to deal with the IP traffic needs of the future and to provide the quality of service demanded by the end users of voice and data.

Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data communications solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers world-wide. With 120,000 employees and sales of EURO 23.1 billion ($25.0 billion), Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

Alcatel is the world's leading integrated submarine networks supplier able to offer turnkey solutions to its customers. Not only does Alcatel lead the world in terms of technology and capacity for its Optinex undersea systems, it has the largest manufacturing capacity at 80,000 km per year and is able to control installation schedules through its long-term leasing of four purpose-designed cable-lay vessels and three further vessels suitable for maintenance or ancillary operations. The company is currently working on a number of contracts around the world valued at some US$3.1 billion, most of which utilise DWDM technology. Current contracts include the most advanced undersea networks in the world today; Atlantica-1, Atlantis-2 and Columbus-3 systems in the Atlantic, the China-US, Japan-US and Southern Cross transpacific systems, and the MAC and MAYA-1 systems in the Americas. Alcatel has the largest market share in both the DWDM and submarine networks market segments, and is able to complement its global reach and presence with a true in-house, end to end, networking solution. FMI: http://www.alcatel.com.