Working with vendor Xtera Communications, GBI is delivering 100G waves on both subsea and terrestrial sections of the 5,000km Zararana to Milan route. It claimed that the link is the first commercial repeatered submarine cable system with 100G technology.
The backhaul networks at either end of the connection are the first commercial systems in the world with installed design capacity of 90 x 100G, said GBI, using Reconfigurable Optical Add Drop Multiplexers (ROADMs) to ensure maximal network resiliency and speedy restoration of traffic in the event of plant failure.
“This is a landmark 100G deployment in the Mediterranean,” said Ahmed Mekky, CEO of GBI. ”This reflects our ongoing commitment to be the region’s most advanced subsea cable operator and to ensure that our customers benefit from the latest technological advancements.”
The deployment is based on Xtera’s Nu-Wave OptimaTM platform, a modular optical transport system that uses a common, integrated set of modules for long-haul, unrepeatered and regional repeatered submarine applications.
Its configuration for regional repeatered submarine cable systems includes a line monitoring module used for the supervision of the submerged repeaters.
