Sprint Announces Industry's Fastest Transatlantic Transmission Speeds to Date - Brief Article

Fiber Optics Business, July 15, 2001

Sprint announced the first successful router to router transmission of STM-64/OC-192 data over the TAT-14 transatlantic cable -- the fastest transatlantic data transmission to date. Sprint intends to begin client installation immediately, ensuring the most advanced direct connection between Europe and the United States. The 15,000 km undersea fiber optic cable is a dual, bi-directional ring configuration system linking the United States directly to the UK, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Sprint is one of 50 consortium members owning the TAT-14. The cable has four fiber pairs, each with 16 wavelengths of STM-64 (10 Gbps). TAT-14 will have the capability for 640 Gbps protected capacity, capable of transmitting the equivalent of 1,000 CD-ROMS per second. This configuration provides a capability of transporting 4,096 STM-1s across the ocean. The system utilizes reverse direction protection switching in the event of failure of the service fiber.