At the time of the launch, Southern Cross also confirms the implementation and testing of 400GbE services across the 15,840km SX NEXT network in collaboration with Ciena.
The trial of 400GbE services is hailed as an industry first for the longest single span 400GbE services on a subsea cable network, successfully testing the services error-free as part of the SX NEXT commissioning process.
“The Southern Cross NEXT cable system is up and running, and the new technology and capability will support the rising demand for hyperscale bandwidth driven by cloud adoption and digitisation along with changing needs of our customers and the industry," said Laurie Miller, CEO of Southern Cross Cable Network.
“Collaborating with Ciena, we are thrilled to continue to offer the latest in subsea technology that will provide enhanced reliability and network connectivity from Los Angeles to Sydney and Auckland, Fiji, Tokelau and Kiribati."
First announced back in 2017, the SX NEXT cable connects Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands with onward connectivity to the rest of the world. The NEXT cable also has connections to Tokelau and Kiribati and Fiji.
The system has taken just over two years to complete during the global pandemic and will become the third route in the Southern Cross network ecosystem between Australasia and the US.
The SX NEXT cable bolsters the Southern Cross network ecosystem by approximately 500%, to around 100Tbps.
“With end-user digital applications continuing to proliferate, cable operators like Southern Cross need adaptive networks that can tackle ever-growing capacity demands yet remain reliable across long distances," said Matthew Vesperman, managing director of Ciena Australia and New Zealand.
"As the first cable based on the open submarine cable model, the Southern Cross NEXT cable employs the latest advancements in submarine network performance and builds upon the foundation of available real-time capabilities provided by Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme.”
Using Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme, powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme (WL5e) coherent optical technology, SX NEXT is meshed into the current Southern Cross eco-system network fabric. In addition, Ciena’s WL5e technology reduces power costs and inefficiencies by more than 600% on a per bit basis.
