Facebook and Google collaborate on U.S.-Guam-Singapore cable

Facebook and Google are lead investors in a new subsea cable from Eureka, California to Singapore, with a stop-over in Guam.

The Echo subsea cable will be the first to directly connect the U.S. to Singapore with direct fiber pairs over an express route. The cable is expected to have landings in Indonesia and possibly other locations. 

In a blog posting, Google said Echo's unique route to Southeast Asia will avoid the crowded, traditional paths to the north. The cable is expected to be ready for service in 2023.

https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/introducing-the-echo-subsea-cable

https://engineering.fb.com/2021/03/28/connectivity/echo-bifrost/

Facebook's new Singapore data center to use StatePoint Liquid Cooling

Tuesday, January 15, 2019  Data Centers, Facebook  

Construction is now underway on Facebook's first custom-built data center in Asia.  The new data center in Singapore shares some characteristics with other Facebook facilities, such as the use of 100% renewable energy, but features many unique aspects. First, it will be an 11-story building that will sit on 12 acres of land in Singapore’s Tanjong Kling Data Center Park. Second, it will be the first to incorporate the new StatePoint Liquid...

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Facebook to build data center in Singapore

Thursday, September 06, 2018  Facebook  

Facebook announced plans to build a hyperscale data center in Singapore. The 170,000 square meter facility, which will be Facebook's first wholly-owned data center in Asia-Pac, is expected to come online in 2022 at the latest. Facebook estimated the cost of the project at US$ 1 billion. Last month, Facebook set 2020 as its target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and to power 100% of global operations with renewable energy. Three years...

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MIST subsea cable to deliver 240 Tbps from Singapore to India

Sunday, December 15, 2019  India, Myanmar, NTT, Singapore, Submarine, Subsea  

NTT announced "MIST", a submarine cable between Singapore, Myanmar and India (Mumbai and Chennai) that promises a record 240 Tbps capacity with support for 400 Gbps wavelengths. MIST will be part of a strategic joint venture for international submarine cables in South East Asia, with Orient Link Pte. Ltd. The cable is expected to be ready for service by June 2022. MIST will span 11,000 kilometers in length with 12 fiber pairs. Wavelength Selective...

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Facebook backs Bifrost cable from U.S. to Southeast Asia

In addition to its participation in the Echo subsea cable from the U.S. to Singapore, Facebook confirmed its investment in the Bifrost Cable System from the U.S. to South East Asia.

The Bifrost Cable System will span over 15,000 km, connecting Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam and the west coast of North America. The cable is expected to be completed in 2024.

The project is also backed by Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Limited (Keppel T&T) and Telekomunikasi Indonesia International (Telin), which is a subsidiary of PT Telkom Indonesia.

The partners say that when fully commissioned, the multiple fibre paired Bifrost Cable System will be the largest capacity cable across the Pacific Ocean.

Keppel T&T, Facebook and Telin have appointed Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) for the supply and installation works of the cable system.

“Connectivity is at the heart of our mission to give people the power to build community,” said Kevin Salvadori, Vice President, Network at Facebook. “We are committed to bringing more people online to a faster internet, to support the growth of digital economies, and to do this in collaboration with local partners.”

https://engineering.fb.com/2021/03/28/connectivity/echo-bifrost/

https://www.telin.net/company/newsroom/257-keppel--facebook-and-telin-announce-bifrost-cable-system

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DARE-1 subsea cable enters service to East Africa

The Djibouti Africa Regional Express (DARE) submarine cable system has entered service in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. 

The 4,900 km cable links Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. The project was funded by Djibouti Telecom, Somtel, Hormuud Telecom and Telkom Kenya. Total investment was US$81 million.

DARE-1 has a design capacity of 36 Tbps, making it the largest in the region.

https://international.djiboutitelecom.dj/dare1/internet-le-cable-dare-1-mis-en-service/

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Australia's NBN Co extends satellite coverage for businesses

Australia's nbn announced plans to expand its satellite beams for its business nbn satellite service (BSS)  to cover 100 per cent of the Australian mainland and surrounding large islands.

Scheduled for 29 July 2021, BSS beam coverage will increase from 93 per cent to 100 per cent to expand access across the east coast of the Australian mainland, the west coast of Tasmania and large surrounding islands such as Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

 

nbn also announced plans to reduce the wholesale price by approximately 40 per cent for the BSS Access Bandwidth Service (ABS) Layer 3 dedicated bandwidth product for internet retailers that engage in extended contract terms with nbn to help meet the needs of their customers over longer time periods. The ABS Layer 3 service is designed to deliver consistent wholesale speeds of up to 50/13 Mbps to provide the core connectivity for critical applications required by many medium and large businesses, enterprises and government organisations. 

NBN Co’s Chief Development Officer of Regional and Remote, Gavin Williams: “At nbn, we recognise that connectivity is vital for businesses to drive innovation, productivity and growth. With this knowledge we have dedicated ourselves to expand the availability of wholesale business-grade services across the continent. Whether to connect remote health facilities, mining operations or large-scale agriculture, these enhancements help make the business nbn™ satellite service more accessible for eligible businesses and government organisations even in the most remote parts of continent and we look forward to delivering new capabilities to further improve the service in the future.”

https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/coverage-increase-and-reduced-wholesale-prices-to-enhance-bss

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DE-CIX brings its Internet Exchange to four QTS Mega Data Centers

DE-CIX has extended Internet Exchange platform by deploying core switches in QTS' mega-scale data centers in Chicago, Dallas/Irving, TX, Piscataway, NJ and Richmond, VA. 

The Dallas/Irving DE-CIX core switch enables QTS customers to peer with nearly 100 networks, while the New York DE-CIX core switch provides QTS' Piscataway customers access to more than 250 networks. 

All four DE-CIX IXs in North America, including DE-CIX Chicago and RVA-IX, are interconnected via a private network to DE-CIX New York and DE-CIX Dallas, creating a fully redundant, optimized low-latency route between each market. DE-CIX and QTS partnered with global consulting company InterGlobix on the new expansion across the four markets.

"QTS is clearly committed to providing access to an unrestricted Internet ecosystem as evidenced by their partnership with similar exchanges nationally," said Ivo Ivanov, CEO, DE-CIX International. "By expanding our US presence in QTS' mega scale, carrier neutral data centers and connectivity ecosystems, DE-CIX is able to provide even more customers the ability to reach the greatest number of low latency network choices, reducing risk and improving performance for their IT investments in each market."

"DE-CIX is the ideal partner to support our focus on creating optimized and resilient interconnection platforms, utilizing the most advanced technologies, and reinforcing our core values of interconnection neutrality and transparency," said Sean Baillie, Executive Vice President – Connectivity Strategy, QTS. "As technology increases in scale and complexity across multiple platforms and geographies, we are focused on building mega data centers with risk-adjusted access to a myriad of networks sought by enterprise and hyperscale organizations. This translates to a combination of mega scale infrastructure with access and connectivity to the world's largest cloud providers, the world's largest IP networks, Internet Exchanges, fiber providers, diverse transport paths and subsea cables."

http://www.qtsdatacenters.com

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DC BLOX secures $187M for data centers in southeastern U.S.

DC BLOX, which operates Tier III-designed data centers located in Atlanta, Birmingham, Chattanooga, and Huntsville, secured $187 million in long-term financing led by Post Road Group and Bain Capital Credit. 

Proceeds will be used to refinance DC BLOX’s existing credit facilities, add liquidity to DC BLOX’s balance sheet, and provide additional capital to fund continued investments in existing and new data center capacity.

“This financing would have not been possible without the efforts of our team and represents a significant milestone for the company. The trust and partnership we have developed with the teams at Post Road Group and now with Bain Capital Credit are instrumental to our continued growth plans,” commented Jeff Uphues, CEO of DC BLOX. “This capital will be immediately deployed to support growth in our existing facilities and accelerate the expansion of our Tier III-designed interconnected data center platforms in other markets throughout the Southeastern United States,” said Kevin O’Donnell, Chief Financial Officer.

http://www.dcblox.com

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Fujitsu supplies FTTP in rural Virginia

Fujitsu Network Communications was selected to be the prime broadband network and integration partner for a 53-mile fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband network for Craig-Botetourt Rural Electric Cooperative (CBEC) headquartered in New Castle, Virginia. Fujitsu is responsible for network design and build-out, multivendor equipment and software procurement, network integration, testing and service turn-up. 

The new fiber broadband network, which passes 700 addresses, makes it possible for CBEC to serve the essential connectivity needs of their cooperative members, delivering symmetrical, high-speed internet services up to 300 Mbps and digital voice services. Since the launch on February 1, 2021, the co-op already has 155 new subscribers.

“The response from our community is overwhelmingly positive. Improved broadband means a better quality of life for our members, attracting new residents to the area and encouraging existing residents to stay when they might have otherwise moved,” said Jeff Ahearn, CEO, Craig-Botetourt Rural Electric Cooperative. “The ability of Fujitsu to efficiently manage the overall project while accommodating a very tight turnaround means that we can deliver unmatched, next-generation fiber broadband services to our members at a time when they are most needed.”

“Being connected with reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband has become a must-do for the economic vitality of communities of all sizes,” said Greg Manganello, senior vice president and head of wireless and service solutions, Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc.

http://www.fujitsu.com

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