The Europe India Gateway (EIG) consortium completed the first phase of a 100G upgrade on its international submarine cable system, spans approximately 15,000 kilometers and connects 12 countries across three continents.
The first phase of the EIG cable upgrade – from the United Kingdom to Djibouti – is complete, with phase two – enhancing the cable capability to India – underway.
Ciena said its GeoMesh submarine solution, using the OneControl Unified Management System, combined with the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and optical bypass, gives EIG an end-to-end view of both its terrestrial and submarine networks. The 100G wavelengths installed for EIG will be able to seamlessly offer 10G and 100G services.
“This win further expands our footprint in the submarine market and cements our role as a strategic supplier to top international cable consortia. High-bandwidth, on-demand applications and services continue to put pressure on today’s submarine networks, requiring providers like EIG to leverage platforms that not only increase capacity but also provide more programmability and enhanced network management capabilities,” stated Ed McCormack, Vice President and General Manager of Submarine Systems, Ciena.
- The EIG Consortium members are: AT&T, Bharti Airtel, BT, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vodafone, Djibouti Telecom, du, Gibtelecom, Libyan Information and Technology Company, MTN Group, Omantel, PT Comunicacoes, Saudi Telecom Company, Telecom Egypt, Telkom SA SOC Ltd and Verizon. The original suppliers for the EIG cable system were Alcatel-Lucent and Tyco Electronics Subsea Communications (TE SubCom).
EIG will offer up to 3.84 terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity along a key route connecting Europe with India via the Mediterranean Sea. The $700 million high-capacity fiber-optic cable is described as one of the most advanced submarine cable systems in the world.
