Cinia to connect C-Lion1 to Equinix data centres

Finland’s Cinia plans to link the new C-Lion1 submarine cable system between Germany and Finland to Equinix data centres in Frankfurt and Helsinki. Round-trip delay will be less than 20 milliseconds, Cinia aannounced at ITW.

The company said that the connection will have a capacity of 144 Tbps to enable data centre providers to benefit from Finland’s cool climate, strict privacy laws and low energy pricing.

“Efficient data centres and reliable network infrastructure are the backbone of the digital single market in Europe,” said Jukka-Pekka Joensuu, EVP of Cinia. “We are delighted to connect to Equinix as their global footprint of reliable IBX data centres and established business ecosystems are ideally suited for the needs of our target customers across enterprise, carrier and financial markets.”

Equinix data centres in Frankfurt are business hubs for more than 800 companies and more than 400 network providers and provide a direct access to DE-CIX, the largest internet exchange point in the world, along with Kleyrex and DataIX internet exchanges.

Six Equinix data centres in Helsinki provide conveniently located colocation facilities and a wide range of value-added services with a latency level equivalent to a location in a Frankfurt suburb.

“The C-Lion1 submarine cable system will provide greater interconnection capabilities for high-performance applications in central and northern Europe,” said Eric Schwartz, EMEA president of Equinix.

“The growth and rapid evolution of the digital economy demand ever-increasing levels of network performance and capacity. At Equinix, we are committed to connecting the world’s leading business organizations to their customers, employees and partners inside our highly interconnected International Business Exchange (IBX) data centres. We are delighted that Cinia chose Equinix IBXs to be prime connection points on the C-Lion1 system and welcome Cinia as the newest participant in the broader ecosystems that thrive in our IBXs.”

The Cinia C-Lion1 submarine cable provides a low latency route from central European network nodes via Finland to Russian and Asian markets. Existing interconnections at the Finnish-Russian border enable direct access to Asia via the so called northern Silk Road route. In the future, the planned Arctic Connect sea cable via the Northeast Passage is set to further position Finland as the key gateway between the East and the West.

Meanwhile Cinia has signswith the Dvid Ross Group (DRG) to provide asset and capacity sales for C-Lion1.DRG’s affiliate, United Cable Company (UCC), will provide Cinia with a presence outside of Europe and offer global connectivity solutions to new target groups.

“DRG has been a trusted advisor through every phase of our undersea cable project and we look forward to their continued support as we enter operations,” said Joensuu.

“The globally-recognized subsea experts at DRG and UCC will help us make these services available to a broader market,” said Cinia partnership director Eeva Liljanto.

“Network operators continually seek to improve resiliency and latency performance,” added Eric Gutshall, founder and global head of asset and capacity sales of UCC. “C-Lion1 is a terrific asset that supports both. The timing for this next phase of the relationship couldn’t be better with C-Lion1 planning to enter commercial service later this month.”