New Zealand-based network operator Chorus has selected Ericsson to build a fibre optic cable. Chorus was chosen by the New Zealand Government to roll-out fibre in 24 regions as part of its Ultra Fast Broadband initiative. Ericsson's optical fibre has the ability to deliver data at speeds of at least 100 Mbps (downstream) and 50 Mbps (upstream). Ericsson will supply Chorus with a range of services for the build out, including fibre cables, microduct, tools, and all related accessories
According to local reports, the Gabonese Republic has connected to the ACE undersea cable. The cable, which has a capacity of 5Tbps will allow every Gabonese subscriber to at least 2Mbps of internet access speeds. The connection is also expected to lower the costs of connectivity to end users in the country. It had been hoped that the cable would be operational for Gabon’s co-hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations 2012 with Equatorial Guinea, but users will not be connected before April 2012, two months after the event.
Australia’s second largest mobile network operator by subscribers, Optus, has completed its first successful data connection using LTE technology operating through the 700MHz band. According to local media sources, trials of the technology came after Optus’ September 2011 announcement that it had been deployed the spectrum in Bendigo, Victoria, where the analogue TV switch-off had already taken place. The company partnered with Huawei for the trials.
Next Connex, a UK-based data center and connectivity provider, announced that its 780km Southern Ring Dark Fibre network is now complete. The fibre network is expected to enhance networking and cloud computing services and will operate within the company’s Next Generation Data (NGD) data centre to support 10Gbps, 40Gbps and 100Gbps capacity services.
Hong Kong-based operator Pacnet has been selected by Chinese consumer mobile security company NetQin Mobile to provide improved network services and support its network from Asia to the US. The partnership means NetQin will have access to a range of services offered by Pacnet, including IP Transit, co-location, managed services and Ethernet international Private Lease Line service in China. NetQin operates primarily to monitor cyber threats over the internet, which is becoming more prevalent in the market with the increasing proliferation of devices on networks.
UK fibre optic infrastructure provider City Fibre Holdings has appointed infrastructure corporate finance company Macquarie Capital to raise £500 million for the expansion of its UK operations. The investment will be used to build further in metro networks with the aim to connect one million homes and 50,000 businesses through FTTP technology. Upon completion, the project is expected to offer speeds of between 100Mb and 1G to retail service providers.
Claro Argentina, a subsidiary of Mexican mobile giant American Movil has announced the launch of a HSPA+ network in the country. The planned network will offer download speeds of up to 5Mbps. Claro has a subscriber base of 19 million in Argentina and over 20 million wireless customers across Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. It has also announced the launch of a new video on demand service in Argentina called Ideas Entretenimiento.
KDDI America has invested approximately 85.5% of common shares in South Korean CDN service provider CD Networks. The investment, which is valued at approximately $167 million, will allow KDDI America to combine internet network and CDN services and build further on its mobile content platform.
Southern Cross cable network has selected Ciena to expand its network capacity as part of an upgrade to its subsea network. As part of a push to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth services, Southern Cross Cables will increase capacity on all network segments between Australia, New Zealand and the US though Ciena’s 40G optical solutions. The company said it needs to address the demand for video and cloud computing by pushing beyond 10Gbps wavelengths, with Ciena’s solution also expected to provide the cable with network management capabilities to ensure the service is best equipped to keep up with latest technologies.
US-based fibre provider and bandwidth infrastructure company Zayo has selected Cyan to upgrade its Manhattan network. The Cyan Z-series platform upgrade will allow Zayo to offer more advanced Ethernet and wavelength services to some of the world’s largest financial institutions, in addition to wholesale packet services to large carriers and wireless operators. The move marks a continued relationship between the two companies; Zayo has employed the Cyan Z-Series packet-optical transport platform (P-OTP) in several markets over the past two years.
