Fibre Optics Under the SeaPeter Jamieson IEng MIET, MSCTE, MCMI

Principal Engineer, Core Network Engineering – Liberty Global.Chairman, European Subsea Cables Association.

peter.jamieson@virginmedia.co.uk

07771506713

Global Network

2017 – 428 submarine cables in service globally, = 1.1 million km

99% of global communications carried by submarine cables.

UK Connectivity

As an Island nation UK

virtually wholly dependant

on submarine cables for

connectivity.

Submarine cables

contribute £65 Billion to the

UK economy.

(University of Huddersfield)

Data Generators

Data is the new oil

• Short Haul Systems typically < 500km single span. High fibre count 24F – 300F.

Long life span. Upgradeable.

07/06/2017 Template examples5

Short Haul / Long Haul

557km 90.2dB

G.654 fibre 1.6dB/km

• Long Haul Systems typically trans-oceanic 6,000 – 8000km. (Sea-Me-We 3 = 39,000km)

Typically 25yr life span, upgradeable (to a point), requires repeaters (amplifiers) every 70km,

Low fibre count 4F – 24F, Requires power to feed the repeaters.

07/06/2017 Template examples6

Short Haul / Long Haul

Submarine Cable Construction

Deep Ocean Continental Shelf

Submarine Cable Installation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsoo_BOwrrM

Where do they land?

Where do they land?

What damages submarine cables?

These Do

What damages submarine cables?

These Don’t

How do you repair a submarine cable?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6qTk5WNq9E

Submarine Cable Ages

1858 – 1956 = Telegraph Age

1956 – 1988 = Co-axial Age

1988 – Present = Optical Age

1988 – Optical Age – Consortia

1998 – Optical Age – Private Cable

2015 – Optical Age – Content Cable

Submarine Cable AgesNorth Atlantic- no new cables installed between 2002 – 2015.(1998 – 2002, 7no. Trans-Atlantic cables installed. )

Apollo 2002 – design capacity of 3.2Tb, upgraded in 2015 to 32Tb

Hibernia Express – 2015 120Tb, AE Connect – 2016 104Tb

4no. Planned - MAREA - 2017 160Tb, Midgardsormen – 2019, Fibre Atlantic - 2019, Brexit‘1 – 20??

New systems being driven by the OTT/content providers -

A diagram of the traffic volume across Facebook’s network, and the split between

M2M and user traffic. (Source: Facebook)

The Future

Content Players

Data Centres - Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, Belgium

Datacentres – Sweden, Ireland, Denmark (under construction)

Datacentres – Ireland, Germany, UK (London), France

Datacentres – Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, Austria

Datacentres – Ireland, Denmark

The Future

The Future

The Future

UK is still well served by the upgraded capacity installed

during the .Com Bubble

Content player’s traffic moved onto specific cables will

ease burden.

Upgrades – 400G and beyond on new systems.

New systems on traditional routes will be required in

5-10 years