Submarine and subfluvial optical networks in brazil

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SUBMARINE AND SUBFLUVIAL OPTICAL NETWORKS IN BRAZIL
Júlio César Magro1
ABSTRACT
With the prospect of traffic growth and demand for bandwidth due to applications such as
video transmission, cloud-based services, Internet of Things, 5th mobile networks with the
expectation of rates exceeding 10 Gbit/s, it is necessary to use long-distance optical networks
and high transmission capacity through DWDM wavelength multiplexing to interconnect
countries and continents and to support people, organizations and globalized businesses. This
article presents the submarine and subfluvial optical networks implanted and in design in
Brazil, as well as the technological challenges involved and the pioneering development of
optical amplification solutions in Latin America. Through a bibliographic study it was
possible to understand the history, the evolution, the challenges and the development of
submarine and subfluvial optical networks in Brazil. It has stood out in the international
market for submarine optical networks due to its continental dimension, continuously
increasing data traffic and external and internal investments in projects and product and
solution development. In view of this scenario, one can conclude that Brazil has a
considerable infrastructure and in expansion of submarine optical networks and subfluvial and
integrated in the international context of communications.
Key words: optical networks, submarine cable, DWDM
INTRODUCTION
With the perspective of traffic growth and demand for bandwidth due to applications such as
video transmission, cloud-based services, Internet of Things, 5th
generation mobile networks
expecting rates over 10 Gbit/s, it is necessary the use of long-distance optical networks and
extremely high transmission capacity through DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division
Multiplexing) to connect countries and continents and support people, organizations and
globalized businesses.
The submarine and subfluvial optical networks present the solution to supply all this demand
of traffic, besides creating new routes of interconnection. The main parts of submarine optical
networks are submarine optical cables, branching units, which allow dividing the optical cable
to other directions and facilitating the deployment of new cables, power system for optical
amplifiers (repeaters), monitoring system for cable monitoring and optical repeaters; and
DWDM transmission equipment (ANDRADE, 2017).
1
MSc in Electrical Engineering/UNICAMP, Devry-Metrocamp, R. Dr. Sales de Oliveira, 1661 - Vila Industrial,
13035-500 - Campinas - SP, jmagro@metrocamp.edu.br

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The bit transmission capacity of submarine optical cables depends on the number of DWDM
channels and the bit rate used in each channel considered in the design.
Currently there are more than 320 submarine cables in operation in the world
(TELEGEOGRAPHY, 2016) and are used to transmit data, voice and video. In Brazil 14
submarine and 1 subfluvial cables are present.
The objective of this paper is to present the submarine and subfluvial optical networks
implanted in Brazil and in the project, as well as the technological challenges involved and
the pioneering development of optical amplification solutions in Latin America.
METHOD
The method used was a bibliographic study in books, articles, magazines and specialized
websites. The material studied is in bibliographical references.
RESULTS
Based on the bibliographic study, it was possible to understand the history, evolution,
challenges and the development of submarine and subfluvial optical networks in Brazil.
Figure 1 shows the submarine optical cables present in Brazil. Following this a brief
description of each cable.

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Figure 1 – Submarine optical cables present in Brazil
Source: TeleGeography, 2017
America Movil, controlling in Brazil of Claro, Net and Embratel operators, has the AMX-1
submarine cable system, which connects seven countries and eleven destination points. The
AMX-1 (America Mobile Submarine Cable System-1) is designed to support rates of 10
Gbit/s, 40 Gbit/s and 100 Gbit/s on its DWDM channels. The 17,800 km route leaves North
America, crosses Central America and arrives in Brazil at three points: Fortaleza city (Futuro
beach), Salvador city (Pituba beach) and Rio de Janeiro city (Recreio beach) (TELETIME,
2013) .
Americas I submarine cable (initially Brazil, Trinidad & Tobago, Puerto Rico and the United
States) was inaugurated in September 1994 and leaves Fortaleza for Florida. Subsequently,
the Americas I has designated only the Puerto Rico and United States interconnection
(TELEGEOGRAPHY, 2017). Americas II started operations in September 2000 and is the
result of a consortium of Embratel, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, CANTV and others operators.
With 8,373 km of extension Americas II interconnects Brazil, French Guiana, Trinidad and
Tobago, Venezuela, Curaçao, Martinique, Puerto Rico and the United States.
ATLANTIS-2 belongs to an international consortium made up of 25 major
telecommunications companies. Seventy percent of the venture was made by Embratel,
Deutsche Telecom, Telecom Italia, STET-France Telecom, and Telefónica de España
operators. With an estimated 12,000 kilometers and operating since the beginning of 2000, it

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links Brazil (from Natal city to Rio de Janeiro city) to Europe, Africa and South America. In
the infrastructure of Atlantis 2, Embratel also implemented, for its exclusive use, two
additional pairs of optical fibers, between Fortaleza city and Rio de Janeiro city.
Telxius's SAM-1 (South America-1) submarine cable in operation since 2001 is a system built
by Telefónica SA that connects the three Americas by means of 25,000-km-long cables. It
allows connection in Latin America, Central America and the United States. Serves Brazil,
Argentina, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and the United States. In Brazil, the cable
interconnects the cities of Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza and Salvador.
In operation since 2000, Level 3's South American Crossing / Latin American Nautilus
(SAC/LAN) and Telecom Italia Sparkle have 20,000 km and interconnect the main countries
of South, Central and North America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Panama and USA).
BTG Pactual's Globenet Cable started operations in 2001 and interconnects the United States,
Bermuda, Venezuela and Brazil. It has 23,500 km of extension. In Brazil, the entry points are
the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza.
Inaugurated in 1994, the UNISUR telecommunications system interconnects the countries of
Mercosur, Argentina (La Plata city), Brazil (Florianópolis city) and Uruguay (Maldonado
city). The result of a consortium formed by the Embratel, Antel (Uruguay) and Telintar
(Argentina) operators, is composed of an optical fiber submarine cable with 1,741 km of
extension (PALACIOS; SANTOS, 2003).
The submarine optical cable named JUNIOR by Google in honor of the Brazilian painter and
designer José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior (1850-1899) connects Macumba beach in Rio de
Janeiro city to Grande beach in the Santos bay, with approximately 390 km. The system is
expected to start operating in the second half of 2017. Comprised of eight fiber pairs and three
submarine repeaters developed by Padtec, Júnior interconnects with two other submarine
cables in the region. The first is MONET, a 10,556-km cable that connects Boca Raton,
Florida, to two major cities along the Brazilian coast, Fortaleza and Santos cities. The second
is TANNAT, which extends for 2,000 km from Santos to Maldonado cities, in Uruguay
(RAMOS, 2016).
The Monet, optical cable owned by the consortium formed by Angola Cables, Google, Algar
Telecom, Antel Uruguay, scheduled for entry into production at the end of 2017, built and

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maintained by TE Connectivity SubCom under a condominium regime by the owner
companies and with use participation also by academic entities such as RNP (National
Research Network) has the function of optimizing the interconnection between Brazil and the
United States.
This scenario offers the South American academic community the conditions for greater
collaboration in projects that demand large network capacity. In the case of Monet, one of the
largest buyers of cable capacity will be the Large Scale Synoptic Telescope (LSST) project,
which is under construction for a new optical telescope in Chile.
According to Google, the purpose of the Brazil-US connection is to expand the structure
necessary for the connection between Latin users, almost 300 million, and the headquarters of
the largest data centers accessed in the world. In addition to the fast growing Internet
penetration, the increased deployment of 4G networks and fiber optic networks drives
increased demand. It also features high-quality video content (HD, 4K) and cloud-based
services (MANSUR, 2017).
Telebrás, in a joint venture with Spain's IslaLink Submarine Cables, has the Ellalink cable
with 5,900 km of extension and links Fortaleza to Lisbon cities, through Fernando de
Noronha Isle, Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Madeira. The cable will allow Brazil and
other countries in South America to have direct access to the world's largest Traffic Exchange
Points (TXP), located in the cities of Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London and Paris. It will also
enable more than 1,400 research and education institutions in South America (800 of these in
Brazil) and 3,000 in Europe, including schools, universities, university hospitals and others, to
expand the exchange of information relevant to the development of science and technology in
their respective countries (TELEBRAS, 2016).
Seaborn Networks and Alcatel-Lucent have built the 10,800 km long Seabras-1 submarine
cable system between the US and Brazil. The Seabras-1 is a system that links New York to
Fortaleza and São Paulo cities (TELESÍNTESE, 2014).
The Cameron-Brazil Cable System (CBCS) is an optical cable linking Brazil to Africa
(Fortaleza city-Kribi city/Cameroon) with 5,900 km owned by the CamTel consortium, China
Unicom, Telefonica. Designed and installed by Huawei and expected to come online at the
end of 2017 (QIU, 2015). Later called South Atlantic Inter Link (SAIL) (SUBMARINE,
2016).

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The mayor of Fortaleza city and Angola Cables, a company that brings together the five main
Angolan telecommunication operators, have signed a contract that provides for the creation of
a data center of around 3,000 square meters of IT area, as well as the construction of the cable
station submarines that will host, in addition to others, the cable of the South Atlantic Cable
System (SACS), which connects Angola to Brazil and will be the first to cross the South
Atlantic with 6,165 km of extension (TELESÍNTESE, 2015).
SAEx (South Atlantic Express) is a cable from SimplCom South Africa, eFive Telecom (and
other consortium companies) that will directly connect Brazil and South Africa
(approximately 9,000 km in length), scheduled to come into operation in 2017. It will be very
important to optimize Brazil's communications with Europe and BRICS region (MANSUR,
2017).
Figure 2 shows the subfluvial cable map of the Amazon Connected Program.
Figure 2 - Subfluvial Cable Map of the Connected Amazon
Source: DIAS, 2017
The subfluvial cable is an initiative that is part of the Amazon Connected Program in which
the Army and the state government seek to connect the interior of the Amazon. The Pilot
Project - Connected Amazon Program occurred in 2015 (PADTEC, 2015). The first section
was completed in 2015 (TELESÍNTESE, 2015).

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In 2017, with the conclusion of the 470 km route that connects Coari city to Manaus city, the
Connected Amazonia project concluded its third stretch, which links Manaus city to Tefé city,
part of Upper Solimões River Infoway. The total project foresees five infoways: Upper
Solimões River, Upper Negro River, Madeira, Purus and Juruá, totaling 7,650 km (DIAS,
2017).
Figure 3 shows the optical amplifier (repeater) of Padtec resulting from the pioneering
development of solutions in optical underwater amplification in Latin America. The sea test
of the submarine solution was carried out in Curuçao in 2014 (PADTEC, 2014).
Figure 3 – Submarine repeater
Source: Padtec
The optical amplifier uses electronic and optical components (with redundancy of the main
components) that guarantee performance and reliability, need mechanical protection that can
withstand corrosion and high seabed pressures (up to 8 thousand meters) and have a useful
life of more than 25 years. In order to guarantee the quality required by the challenges that a
transoceanic network presents, the equipment must be tested in specialized laboratories, such
as pressure and traction, simulating real conditions of the seabed (ANDRADE, 2017).
DISCUSSIONS
Brazil has stood out in the international market for submarine optical networks, both for its
continental dimension, for the continuously increasing data traffic and for external and
internal investments in projects and product and solution development.
Google's decision to be Brazil's hub of its submarine fiber optic network in Latin America
(LOBO, 2015), the heated submarine cable market (BUCCO, 2017), the construction of the
submarine cable station and also a datacenter (TELESÍNTESE, 2016) are some examples that
show the importance that submarine and subfluvial optical networks represent for people,
organizations, businesses, government, educational and academic services.

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FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
In view of the studied scenario, it is observed that Brazil has a considerable infrastructure and
expansion of submarine optical networks and subfluvial and integrated in the international
context of communications.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
ANDRADE, M. Os desafios tecnológicos por trás das redes ópticas submarinas, 2017.
Available in <http://www.telesintese.com.br/manuel-andrade-%E2%80%8Bos-desafios-
tecnologicos-por-tras-das-redes-opticas-submarinas/>. Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
BUCCO, R. Ciena quer aproveitar mercado de cabos submarinos aquecido, 2017. Available
in <http://www.telesintese.com.br/ciena-quer-aproveitar-mercado-de-cabos-submarinos-
aquecido/> . Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
DIAS, L. R. Amazônia Conectada lança mais 600 km de cabo subfluvial, 2017. Available in
<http://www.telesintese.com.br/amazonia-conectada-lanca-mais-6oo-km-de-cabo-
subfluvial/>. Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
LOBO, A. P. Brasil é o hub da mega rede de fibra óptica submarina do Google na região,
2015. Available in
<http://convergenciadigital.uol.com.br/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?UserActiveTemplate=site
&infoid=41077&sid=3&utm%2525252525255Fmedium=>. Accessed on Apr 06 2017.
MANSUR, V. Cabos Ópticos Submarinos no Brasil – Uma abordagem conceitual, 2017.
Available in < http://maisti.atarde.com.br/artigo/cabos-opticos-submarinos/>. Accessed on
Apr 05 2017.
PADTEC. Padtec Sea Trial, 2014. Available in
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTkGD9vgR-Y>. Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
PADTEC. Projeto Piloto - Programa Amazônia Conectada, 2015. Available in
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYMb7QDBTrI&feature=youtu.be>. Accessed on Mar
18. 2017.

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PALACIOS, M. S.; SANTO, S. E. E. Cabos Submarinos no Brasil, 2003. Available in
<http://www.teleco.com.br/tutoriais/tutorialcsub/default.asp>. Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
QIU, W. Huawei Marine is Contracted to Build Cameroon-Brazil trans-Atlantic Submarine
Cable to Connect Africa to Latin America, 2015. Available in
<http://www.submarinenetworks.com/systems/brazil-africa/sail/huawei-marine-is-contracted-
to-build-cameroon-brazil-trans-atlantic-submarine-cable-to-connect-africa-to-latin-america>
Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
RAMOS, C. Novo cabo submarino de dados ligará Rio a São Paulo com tecnologia nacional,
2016. Available in <https://brasil.googleblog.com/2016/03/novo-cabo-submarino-de-dados-
ligara-rio.html> . Accessed on Apr 15 2017.
SUBMARINE Cable Networks. Camtel and China Unicom Signed C&MA for South Atlantic
Inter Link (SAIL) Cable System, 2016. Available in
<http://www.submarinenetworks.com/systems/brazil-africa/sail/camtel-and-china-unicom-
signed-c-ma-for-south-atlantic-inter-link-sail-cable-system>. Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
TELEBRÁS. Cabo Submarino Brasil-Europa vai conectar Fernando de Noronha, 2016.
Available in <http://www.telebras.com.br/inst/?p=6636>. Accessed on Mar 18. 2017.
TELEGEOGRAPHY, 2016. Available in <http://blog.telegeography.com/the-new-submarine-
cable-map-is-here>. Accessed on Apr 05 2017.
TELEGEOGRAPHY Submarine Cable Map, 2017. Available in
<http://www.submarinecablemap.com/>. Accessed on Apr 05 2017.
TELESÍNTESE. Alcatel-Lucent inicia a construção do cabo submarino entre Brasil e Estados
Unidos, 2014. Available in <http://www.telesintese.com.br/alcatel-lucent-inicia-construcao-
cabo-submarino-entre-brasil-e-estados-unidos/>. Accessed on Mar 18 2017.
TELESÍNTESE. Padtec conclui lançamento de cabo óptico subfluvial, 2015. Available in
<http://www.telesintese.com.br/padtec-conclui-lancamento-de-cabo-optico-subfluvial/> .
Accessed on Mar 18 2017.

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TELESÍNTESE. Padtec desenvolve cabo submarino para o Google, 2016. Available in
<http://www.telesintese.com.br/padtec-desenvolve-cabo-submarino-para-o-google/>. Acesso
em 18 de mar. 2017.
TELESÍNTESE. Angola Cables inicia obras de estação de cabos submarinos em Fortaleza,
2016. Available in <http://www.telesintese.com.br/angola-cables-inicia-obras-de-estacao-de-
cabos-submarinos-em-fortaleza/>. Acesso em 18 de mar. 2017.
TELETIME. América Móvil investe R$ 1 bilhão para lançar cabo AMX-1, 2013. Available
in <http://convergecom.com.br/teletime/05/03/2013/america-movil-investe-r-1-bilhao-para-
lancar-cabo-amx-1/>. Accessed on Apr 05 2017.
TELESINTESE. Fortaleza e Angola Cables fecham acordo por Data Center e Cabo
Submarino, 2015. Available in <http://www.telesintese.com.br/fortaleza-e-angola-cables-
fecham-acordo-por-data-center-e-cabo-submarino/>. Accessed on Mar 18 2017.