cables on pacific ocean

1. An update
on
Transpacific cables

2. DISCLAIMER
The content of this presentation does not
reflect nor represent the opinion of America
Online, Inc. Let’s keep it short, you know the
standard stuff…..

3. AGENDA
v Introduction
v Technology
v New Cable Systems
v Costs
v Q&A

4. AGENDA
v Introduction
v Technology
v New Cable Systems
v Costs
v Q&A

5. What happened?
• From To
• monopoly * free market
• PTO owned * private
• members only * IRU
• WDM * DWDM
• coast to coast * city to city
• retail * wholesale

6. AGENDA
v Introduction
v Technology
v New Cable Systems
v Costs
v Q&A

7. A little History
The First cable to Asia, from the Red Sea to India was
laid in 1859-1860 but never worked over its full length.
First trans-Pacific telegraph cable was completed in 1902
between the United States and New Zealand.
First Amplified telephone cable, TAT-1 was completed
1955.
After two decades, the first fiber optic cable across the
Pacific became operational (TPC-3, in 1988) Soon
afterwards it was connected to the Hawaii-4 & Guam-
Philippines-Taiwan (GPT) cables, thus completing the 1st
digital links across the Pacific.

8. ALCATEL OALC4 - 17mm Cable
Cables

9. State of the art cable ships
TSSL’s C.S. Charles Brown

10. Elements of a Submarine Cable System
Cable Station
Beach Manhole
Land Section
Repeater
Cable
Branching Unit
Network Management
Optical &
Transmission
Equipment
Power Feed
Equipment

11. undersea cable
burying, retrieval,
and repair
operations equipment
TSSL’s SCARAB IV ROV
TSSL’s Pacific SCARAB I ROV

12. Repeaters
• Do not regenerate, amplify
• Erbium-doped fiber amplifier
• Well adapted to WDM
• Up to 8 fiber pairs
• Direct monitoring
3 m

13. Monitoring the Repeaters
HIGH LOSS LOOP-
BACK MODULE
REPEATERS
SPACING (d)
Special modulated signal sent from line is looped-
back at 1st repeater and return in time T.
Signal from 2nd repeater will return in time T+DT
Signal from 3rd repeater will return in time T+2DT
DT= 2dn/c, where n=index of refraction and
c=speed of light

14. Repeaters spacing

15. Typical restorable submarine
cable system
LS
Subsea
LS
LS
LS PoP
PoP
PoP
PoP
Asia/Pac
Backhaul
US
Backhaul

16. The
Wavelengt
Division
Multiplexing
technology basics

17. The WDM technology basics

18. Single channel in a fiber

19. WDM is the technique
for sending several
channels at different
colours through the
same fibre

20. Multiple channels in a fiber

21. Generic DWDM Architecture
To lineSTM-N
From line
#1
#2
#N
DMUX
+ Chromatic
Dispersion
Compensator STM-N
OA OA
Digital Signal
ProcessingOR
RECEIVE
#1
#2
#N
MuxOT
OA
TRANSMIT
Digital Signal
Processing

22. DWDM spectrum range
1.0
0.8
0.4
0.2
0.1
1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
Wavelength (mm)
Single mode fiber
1530 to 1565

23. 0
80
160
240
320
400
480
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000
10000
11000
12000
System Length (km)
Fiberpaircapacity(Gbit/s) DWDM Technology:
Capacity Varies with Length:

24. AGENDA
v Introduction
v Technology
v New Cable Systems
v Costs
v Q&A

25. Recently Activated Cables
• China-US*
• PC – 1*
• SEA-ME-WE-3
• FLAG Europe-Asia Cable
Future Cables
• Japan-US
• Southern Cross
• OXYGEN
• Asia Pac Cable Network 2
• East Asia Cable
• North Asia Cable
• FLAG Pacific-1

26. China-US
US
Bandon, OR
San Luis Obispo, CA
CHINA
Chongming
Shantou
GUAM
80 Gbps / 2XSTM-256
2.5 Gbps x 8 Wavelengths x 4 Fiber Pairs
JAPAN
Chikura
Okinawa
S. KOREA
Pusan
TAIWAN
Fangshan
RFCS Outlook: Active
Active
16,000 Route miles
Type: Consortium

27. PC - 1
US
Harbour Pointe, WA
JAPAN
Ajigaura
Initial 160 Gbps capacity, 2.5 Gbps (STM-16) x 8 Wavelengths x 4 fiber pairs
(Upgradeable to 640 Gbps using DWDM technology)
Shima
Grover Beach, CA
No. Ring RFCS: In Service
So. Ring RFCS: November 2000
Type: Private (Global Crossing)
In Service
November 2000
12,600 Route miles

28. SEA-ME-WE 3
JAPAN
Okinawa
S. KOREA
Keoje
UK
CHINA
Shanghai
Shantou
TAIWAN
Taipei
Toucheng
Fangshan
HONG KONG
Deep Water Bay
PHILIPPINES
Batangas
VIET NAM
Danang
THAILAND
Satun
MALAYSIA
Mersing SINGAPORE
Tuss
Tungku
INDONESIA
Jakarta
Medan
INDIA
Cochin
Munbai
MYANMAR
Pyayyypon
PAKISTAN
OMAN
U.A.E.
DJIBOUTI
SAUDI ARABIA
TURKEY
CYPRUS
GREECE
FRANCE
PORTUGAL
MORACCO
ITALY
Penang
20 Gbps (STM-128)
2.5 Gbps x 4 Wavelengths x 2 Fiber Pairs
Submarine Cable Network
Branch Unit
RFCS Outlook: Active Type: Consortium
EGYPT

29. Japan-US
JAPAN
Kita-Ibaraki
Maruyama
HAWAII
Makaha Beach, Oahu
US
Manchester, CA
Shima
Moro Bay /
San Luis Obispo, CA
640 Gbp/s SDH Ring
10 Gbps x16 Wavelengths x 4 Fiber Pairs
12,00 Route miles
RFS: So Ring 2/01
No Ring 5/01

30. Southern Cross
Branch Unit
USA
Nedonna, OR
San Luis Obispo, CA
HAWAII
Kahe Point
Spencer Beach
NEW ZEALAND
Takapuna
Whenuapal
AUSTRALIA
Belrose, Sidney
Rosebery, Sidney
FIJI
Suva
160 Gbp/s SDH Ring
Design
80 Gbp/s SDH Ring
Design
Backhaul & cable sys interface: STM-1
November 2000
November 2000
November 2000
January 2001
RFCS Outlook: November 2000

31. FLAG Pacific-1
RFCS Outlook: 2H02 Type: Private (FLAG Telecom)
JAPAN
Misaki
Chikura
HAWAII
Honolulu
US
Washington
ALASKA
Aleutians
CANADA
Vancouver Is.
Bay Area - North
Bay Area - South
Tokyo /
Yokahama Loop
22,000 Route miles
Supplier is Alcatel
10 Gbps x 64 Wavelengths x 8 Fiber Pairs
Vancouver / Seattle Loop
San Francisco /
Los Angeles
Loop

32. S. Korea
Pusan
TAIWAN
Toucheua
MALAYSIA
Kuan Tan
JAPAN
Kitaibaraki
Chikura
CHINA
Shanghai
Shantou
SINGAPORE
Katoug
HONG KONG
Lantau
PHILIPINES
Batangas
2.56 Tbp/s SDH Ring Design
10 Gbps x 64 Wavelengths x 4 Fiber Pairs
ASIA PAC CABLE NETWORK 2
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

33. CABLES FACTS SUMMARY
Cable System RFS Fiber Pair
Initial
Wavelengths
per Fiber Pair
Wavelengths
per Fiber Pair
Gbps per
Wavelength
Upgraded
Gbps per
Wavelength
Total
Capacity
Fully Upgraded
Total Capacity
APCN February-97 1 2 4 5 5 10 20
FLAG Europe-Asia November-97 2 2 2.5 2.5 10 10
Guam-Philippines March-99 2 1 4 2.5 2.5 5 20
SEA-ME-WE-3 September-99 2 4 8 2.5 2.5 20 40
Pacific Crossing - 1 December-99 4 2 16 2.5 10 20 640
China-US CN January-00 4 8 2.5 2.5 80 80
Japan-US CN February-00 4 8 64 2.5 2.5 80 640
Southern Cross October-00 3 8 16 2.5 2.5 60 160
EAC December-00 4 2 64 10 10 80 2560
North Asian Cable June-01 4 8 64 10 10 320 2560
Australia - Japan July-01 2 4 32 10 10 80 640
SAT-3/WASC/SAFE October-01 2 8 16 2.5 2.5 40 80
805 7450

35. AGENDA
v Introduction
v Technology
v New Cable Systems
v Costs
v Q&A

36. CABLES PRICING MODELS
 Up to spring 1998: Retail T1-E1, T3
 1999: Wholesale T3/STM-1 available
everywhere (IRU or Capital Lease + O&M)
 2000: Wholesale STM-4c available
 2002: Wavelength (2.5/10Gb) offering?

37. CABLES PRICES EXAMPLES
Cpacity between Tokyo and the West Coast
Year data rate Monthly Lease IRU / Capital Lease
1997 E1 54,000$ n.a.
1998 DS3 540,000$ n.a.
1999 DS3 320,000$ n.a.
2000 OC3 200,000$ 8,000,000$

38. CABLES PRICES SUMMARY
O&M Charges are
dropping
drastically
as well
STM-1 O&M
Charges pa
1998 350,000$
1999 250,000$
2000 108,000$
2001 62,500$
2002 30,000$
2003 15,000$

39. The Tug of War of the Cost of Cable
For suppliers: The first system to connect bandwidth-
starved points may capture sales at a much higher
price than when the rest of the bandwidth barons
(private or consortium) join in.
For Buyers: The opposite strategy holds true: If you
don’t like bandwidth prices now, wait a bit. They will
likely change soon enough.

40. Acknowledgements
Many thanks to:
v Tyco Submarine
System
v Genuity
v Global Crossing
v FLAG

41. AGENDA
v Introduction
v Technology
v New Cable Systems
v Costs
v Q&A