TPE (Trans-Pacific Express) is claimed to be "the first next-generation undersea optical cable system directly linking the US and China" and "the first major undersea system to land on the US West Coast in more than seven years". TPE will have a more than 60 times the overall capacity of the existing cable directly linking the US and China, and thus it will be a major enhancement to the current cable systems between these nations.
TPE links China (Chongming and Qingdao), South Korea, Taiwan, and USA (Nedonna Beach). TPE is owned by a joint venture (ownership is evently split) between 6 telcos: China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom, Korea Telecom, Verizon Communications, AT&T and NTT (the two latest joined in 03/2008).
- Consortium agreement: early 2007 ?
- CAPEX : USD 500 mn
- Length : approx. 17,700 km (11,000 miles)
- RFS : August (Q3) 2008 ??
- Capacity : 5.12 Tbps design, 1.28 Tbps initial (other source 2.56 Tbps); 10 Gbps channel; FP? Lambdas?; customers may utilize individual connections running at 10 Gbps
If TPE and AAG are completed, AT&T shall be the first large company having capacity on both systems. And if they have connections from China/Taiwan to Phillipines/Guam they may offer survivable transpacific connection services earlier than PACNET EAC-Pacific. True??
Source/Courtesy TPE Consortium?, taken from Wikipedia
Source/Courtesy TPE Consortium?, taken from Wikipedia
3 comments:
AT&T could connect to Asia with traditional route via USA/China/Japan/HKG with TPE cable, Japan-US cable, CHINA-US cable or via USA/Guam/HKG with AAG cable, but Verizon also can use Southern Cross Cables to Hawaii/Australia/New Zealand to HKG/Singapore
2008 Trans Pacific Express (TPE) Cable
On completion the Trans Pacific Express (TPE) cable will be 18,000 km in length, connecting Nedonna Beach, USA; Chongming & Qingdao, China; Tanshui, Taiwan; and Keoje, South Korea. The system is scheduled to be completed in Autumn 2008 with a data rate of 2.56 Tb/s.
The TPE project uses Tyco 17mm loose tube cable, Alcatel OALC-4 loose tube cable and OCC (Japanese) SC300 cable, also loose tube. Most cable manufacturers are using loose tube fibers now due to the ease and low stress of extracting the fibers.
Project suppliers are Tyco Telecommunications, Alcatel, and NEC Submarine Systems, and the cable is a joint venture of Verizon Business, China Telecom, China Netcom, China Unicom, Korean Telecom, and Chungwa Telecom. The ships working on the lay are Tyco Durable, Ile de Sein, Ile de Batz, Fu Hai, Segero, and Cable Innovator.
The core of the undersea optical fibre cable is a loose tube of a traditional thermoplastic tube material. Gel in the tube serves as a filling compound to prevent water ingress and to gently support the fibres to reduce the impact of microbending. The fill ratio of the gel is designed to be as high as possible to reduce voids and increase water-blocking effectiveness. The fibre count varies: up to 16 for a 17mm cable, and 24 for a 21mm cable. Fibres are laid in the tube straight without helix.
The basic design is the same as that of a tight-buffer cable, but the core is replaced by a loose tube. Outside the tube, 24 stranded wires form a tight package surrounding the loose tube. Next, copper tape is welded and swaged down on the wires to serve as an electrical conductor and a protective sheath. Then a polyethylene jacket is extruded over the copper to serve as insulation. This structure is designated Light Weight (LW) cable. For additional strength and abrasion capability, armour wires can be added to the outside of the LW cable to create different types of protected cable.
Other Tyco systems using this type of loose tube cable are BPGoM (British Petroleum Gulf of Mexico) connecting oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico; SAFE, South Africa to Far East; TWA in the Arabian Sea, linking the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Pakistan, Svalbard (Norwegian mainland to the island of Svalbard for the Norwegian Space Centre; and TGN (Tyco Global Network).
http://www.atlantic-cable.com/Cables/2008TPE/index.htm
[Types of Fiber Optic ][
Basic Knowledge][
Disadvantages][
Advantages][
Connector][
Glossary-Cabling Definitions-Terms][
Patch Panels][
Tool Kit - Hand Tools][
Connector Installation ][
F/O Connector Modules][
Optical Jacks][
Optical Connector and Description Table
Optical Attenuators][
Type of Fiber Optic Connector ][
Adapters - Couplers - Splitters]
Post a Comment