company news - SubCableNews

EDITION NO. 15
September 2003
CONTENTS
Page
Project Updates
2
Company News
15
Project Overview
- Repeaterless Cable Systems
45
- Repeatered Cable Systems
47
Outlook/Disclaimer/Imprint
49
The Global Information Newsletter for the Whole Submarine Cable Industry
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the Fifteenth
issue of SubCableNews.com.
Eckhard Bruckschen
Everybody in the industry is talking about a different feeling after the
summer period – the
upturn is on its way!
Several new submarine cable plans have
been revealed and more confidence can be
seen in the industry.
More consolidation is still to come and only
the strongest and healthiest companies will
survive. Investments have been written off
and some companies are returning stronger
to the market than before.
Only a few days more until the Submarine
Networks World 2003 is opening its doors
in Singapore. Will there be any news, any
surprises?
SubCableNews is attending the Conference
and will keep you updated with any rumours
or news from this part of the world.
In this issue you will find again the latest
project updates and company news from the
submarine cable community.
Please also note that if you add a link to
www.SubCableNews.com on your web
page, we will add your company to our
links page free of charge.
Enjoy reading the newsletter.
The Editor
Eckhard Bruckschen
Picture: www.iscpc.org
Okay, we will never reach the peaks of the
year 2000, but at least the tendency is not
going downhill any more.
Charles L. Brown
CABLE LAYING SHIP CHARLES L. BROWN
Ship sinks off St. Eustatius
The eagerly awaited sinking of the cable laying ship Charles L. Brown to form an artificial
reef, took place off the coast off St. Eustatius on
Friday, July 25. The sinking was due to take
place on Sunday but it seems that the 350-ft
ship got tired of waiting and took things into her
own hands. Reports say that there was no way
of keeping the ship afloat after pipes in the
ship’s generator room burst and it was
announced at 04:00pm on Friday afternoon,
that the ship was going down. Just over onePage 1
and-a-half hours later the Charles L. Brown lifted her stern in salute and plunged to the bottom
of the sea. The speed at which the ship disappeared surprised many, especially members of
the St. Eustatius Fire Department who left it too
late to recover some of their equipment from
the doomed ship. It is hoped the sinking of the
Charles L. Brown will attract divers from all
over the world to the Statia marine park where
they will be able to explore the Caribbean’s
newest and most unique artificial reef.
PROJECT UPDATES
EUROPE
UK
“Sea Stallion” trenches North
Hoyle Export Cable
In August 2003, on a quiet beach in North
Wales, Engineering Business (EB) was on site
to witness a landmark in Renewable Offshore
Power Generation – the installation of the
power export cable for the North Hoyle Offshore Windfarm at Rhyl.
North Hoyle is the first large scale offshore
wind farm to be built off the UK coast and two
submarine export cables will be used to bring
the electricity generated to shore. The 12km
long cables are being installed using an EB
designed and built Sea Stallion 4 cable plough,
owned and operated by CNS Subsea Ltd.
“Economic and effective cable protection is
critical to the success of Offshore wind farms.
The Sea Stallion 4 cable plough is ideally suited to the installation of power cables in shallow water. As this project has demonstrated
the plough can efficiently and securely bury the
export cable up to 2m below the seabed where
it is protected from damage from other seabed
activities.” - Dr Tim Grinsted, EB Technical
Director.
The plough will be used to plough the cable in
right up to the sea wall. This saves time,
reduces environmental impact and ensures the
same high degree of protection along the entire
cable route.
ESTONIA –
FINLAND - LATVIA
Estonian, Finnish ministers discussed Baltic-Nordic power grid link
Some 110m euros will be spent by Estonia,
Finland and Latvia on the installation of an
underwater power cable between Estonia and
Finland. This project called Estlink was one of
the key subjects discussed at the meeting
between the Estonian Economics and Communications Minister Meelis Atonen and Finnish
Trade and Industry Ministry Mauri Pekkarinen
on the 29th of August 2003.
Finland will shoulder half of the cost and Estonia and Latvia will have to invest the rest.
Detailed information as to when the installation
work on the Estlink power cable at the bottom of
the sea will start will be provided later in the year.
Picture: www.engb.com
Minister Meelis Atonen stated that actual preparations to launch the project have been made.
Plough “Sea Stallion”
RUMOURS: UK
Pathfinder Project on its way
again?
There are rumours in the industry that the socalled “Pathfinder Project” is on its way again.
In the next few months a feasibility study will
be undertaken to investigate the best and final
routes for this ambitious project.
The Pathfinder project will provide broadband in rural areas of the United Kingdom.
Submarine cables will connect the Highland
and Islands of Scotland, the Shetlands and
Orkney Islands. The system will consist of
several submarine and terrestrial cable
links, in total of approx. 1,800 km.
Page 2
Eesti Energia [Estonian Energy], Latvenergo
[Latvian Energy] and the Finnish companies
Pohjalan Voima and Helsingin Energia will be
the ones to carry out the project.
Minister Mauri Pekkarinen said that Finland
would like to have electricity from Estonia.
“Naturally, we would like to have the opportunity to function like all open markets - in both
directions, so that electricity would not only go
from Estonia to Finland but, if the need arises,
from Finland to Estonia as well,” he said. The
Estlink project means that a power cable with a
capacity of 315 MW is laid at the bottom of the
Gulf of Finland. It will link the Baltic countries’
electricity network to that of their northern
neighbours. The aim is to transport electricity
produced in Estonia and Latvia to the northern
market, as well as shore up the Estonian energy grids for emergencies.
PROJECT UPDATES
EUROPE
SPAIN - MOROCCO
A second interconnection cable
planned
Red Eléctrica de España and the Moroccan
National Electricity Office (ONE) sign an agreement
on the installation of a second underwater interconnection cable between Spain and Morocco
Ahmed Nakkouch, Director General of the
Moroccan National Electricity Office (ONE), and
Pedro Mielgo, Chairman of Red Eléctrica de
España, have signed an agreement for the construction of a second underwater AC cable
between Morocco and Spain at the Straits of
Gibraltar. It is expected to go into service in
December 2005. This project is part of the
development plan for the transmission grid.
Both parties consider the interconnection of
power between Morocco and Spain as a strategic
project of mutual benefit. A second cable –
between the Puerto de la Cruz substation in
Spain and the Melloussa substation in Morocco –
will increase commercial capacity to 1000 MW.
The increased capacity of the interconnection
will help to establish a Mediterranean power
market. It will also provide the basic infrastructure needed to cover emergency situations in
the regional power markets. The interconnection will play a strategic role in power
exchanges between Europe and the Maghreb —
as called for in a European Commission declaration in Athens in May 2003.
The project will cost 117.2 million euros,
which will be financed in equal parts by the
two parties. It includes a study of the seabed,
extensions to the terminal substations at Fardioua in Morocco and Tarifa in Spain and the
supply and installation of the new cables.
The Spain-Morocco interconnection has
played a significant role in situations of high
demand in the Spanish mainland system. In
these cases it allows support to flow from
Morocco and confirms the value of such international interconnections.
IBIZA –
MAJORCA - SPAIN
Red Electrica will build underwater cables
Red Electrica, a power company from Spain
is planning to build one or two submarine
power cables connecting the islands of Ibiza
and Majorca with the mainland.
Red Electrica is preparing already the electric connections between the peninsula and
the Balearic Islands. At the moment the
company analyses four possible alternatives, although already has centred its studies in two: the line Benejana-Cabo de la
Nao, Ibiza and the line Vandellós-Majorca.
The cable, which is more likely to be built,
will have a distance of some 60 nautical
miles or some 100 kilometres and would go
from Benejana to Ibiza. It would be of continuous current and with a capacity of 300
MW since the technical difficulties impede
another different system.
Your Advertisement
could be placed here!
Interested?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 3
PROJECT UPDATES
EUROPE
MALTA - SICILY
Vodafone orders underwater cable
On 25th of August 2003, Vodafone Malta
announced the award of a contract to Alcatel to
build a Malta - Sicily submarine cable system.
This project will link Vodafone Malta and Sicily with a high-capacity fibre optic link and will
increase data bandwidth availability whilst
increasing international voice capacity. In
Malta, there is currently only one cable system,
which supports all voice, data and Internet
requirements.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alcatel
will supply a submarine fibre cable spanning
approximately 250km, land cable and transmission equipment. The submarine cable will
be laid on the seabed at a maximum depth of
GREECE - ITALY
GWEN project installation on its
way
On the 29th of August 2003, the Hellenic
Telecommunications Organization, or OTE,
announced the beginning of the submarine
cable installation between the Ionian Sea
island of Corfu and the Italian port of Bari. The
cable - built in cooperation with Paris-based
telecommunications services provider Alcatel -
3,000 meters after carrying out an extensive
survey of the sea bed between Malta and Catania in Sicily, using a survey ship equipped with
sonar and other sophisticated survey equipment. Equipped with armoured steel protection, the cable is designed to withstand the
harshest sea environment. During operation,
the cable system will be monitored 24 hours a
day from the Vodafone Malta Operations Centre
in B’Kara. The initial capacity of the system is
2.5 Gbits/sec with the potential to increase the
capacity over1 Tbit/sec, making the system
future proof in terms of capacity expansion.
Vodafone Malta was granted an International
Gateway licence in January 2003, upon liberalisation of international gateway services. The
Vodafone Malta-Sicily Cable System is a component of the International Gateway project
whereby Vodafone Malta will be providing
will also be able to support the increased
telecommunications traffic expected in Greece
during the Athens 2004 summer Olympic
Games next year. OTE is a sponsor of the 2004
Olympics.
Another land cable will connect Corfu to several Greek cities.
international telecommunication services
between Malta and other countries.
“The Vodafone International Gateway is
expected to be operational by summer 2004.
This will be very beneficial for the Maltese
islands. This project will strengthen Malta’s
international telecommunications infrastructure and will also increase the capacity for the
projected future demand of the Internet and
related services. Furthermore, it will create a
competitive market for International voice and
IP services,” said Joseph C. Grioli, Managing
Director at Vodafone Malta. “The Vodafone
Malta-Sicily Cable System will ensure a secure
international interconnection to the Maltese
Islands and we are pleased to be working with
Alcatel on such an important project.”
western European destinations such as Frankfurt, London and Paris. The cable will handle
data, voice and video at high speeds.
The cable installation vessel “Ile de Brehat”
is currently executing the lay and burial operation of the GWEN project.
The cable, to be delivered by the end of the
year, will increase OTE’s capacity to service
RUMOURS:
TURKEY - ITALY
Picture: www.lda.fr
Turk Telekom project to be
awarded soon?
Cable Laying vessel “Ile de Brehat”
Page 4
There are rumours in the industry that the
Turk Telekom project (SubCableNews
reported in May and July 2003) from Turkey
to Italy will be awarded soon. Latest insider
information has pointed in the direction of
Pirelli Submarine Telecom Systems as the
favourite company in this bidding process.
PROJECT UPDATES
AFRICA
TANZANIA
Submarine cable through Lake
Victoria
The Government of Tanzania is preparing a
programme under which to supply electricity to
rural areas at low cost.
This is aimed at enabling people in those
areas to take part in development projects,
energy and minerals minister Daniel Yona said
in Geita, Mwanza recently.
Various projects will be undertaken under
what is known as the Rural Electrification Master Plan.
They include the Tsh8 billion project in
Ukerewe District, Mwanza Region. Funded by
Spain, the project will include putting up a line
from Bunda to Kibara.
Small electricity lines from Kibara to Nansio
town will also be put in place.
Under that particular project, a large submarine cable will be laid through Lake Victoria
from Kisorya Bay to Rugezi Bay.
MIDDLE EAST
Furthermore, a transformer and service lines
for supplying electricity will be installed for
Kibara and Nansio customers.
The Tanzania Electric Supply Company
(Tanesco) spent Tsh486 million last year on
putting up infrastructure for supplying electricity to rural parts of Geita, Sengerema, Kwimba
and Misungwi in Mwanza.
The company has also set aside Tsh574 million for use in distribute electricity to other villages of Mwanza between July and December
this year.
Yona also spoke of the 33kv BiharamuloChato power project.
Electricity in Biharamulo and Ngara Districts
will be produced from diesel-powered generators.
Although the Government intends to run similar projects in several other rural areas, the
minister said, financial constraints are hamstringing the efforts.
He nonetheless thanked Spain, Germany,
Japan and the World Bank for their contributions towards the projects.
RUMOURS:
NAMIBIA
Festoon system planned?
There are rumours in the industry, that
Namibia Telecom is planning a festoon system along its coastline with connections to
the proposed Angolan festoon system and
also further to South Africa. Namibia is not
connected to the SAT-3/WASC/SAFE cable
system, so is missing international connectivity via submarine cable.
RUMOURS:
ANGOLA
Tender for Festoon System out?
There are rumours in the industry that the
tender for the submarine festoon system
along the Angolan coastline has been issued.
Page 5
RUMOURS:
UAE - PAKISTAN
Submarine Cable Plan moved
ahead?
There are rumours in the industry that the
plan for a submarine cable between
Fujairah, UAE and Karachi, Pakistan is moving ahead.
The planned SEA-ME-WE 4 cable system is
connecting these two countries only via
Branching Units, not directly. This project
would create a complementary system providing more redundancy and protection for
both countries.
In another development, the Geita electrification project worth Tsh1.7 billion was officially
inaugurated by the vice-president, Dr Mohamed
Ali Shein, who said the aim of the Government
was to supply electricity to more rural areas
where 80 per cent of Tanzanians live.
PROJECT UPDATES
ASIA
THAILAND-INDONESIA-SINGAPORE
SingTel to press ahead with cable
plans
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. plans to
press ahead with two new undersea cable projects to carry communications traffic, the company said Monday, 18th of August 2003,
despite the recent default of its 59.5%-owned
C2C Asian cable unit. SingTel committed to
plans for the two new cable networks last year.
The roughly US$30 million TIS network is a
regional 1,000 kilometre submarine cable joint
project that will land in Songkhla in Thailand,
Batam in Indonesia, and Changi in Singapore.
The larger Sea-Me-We-4 network will involve
SingTel as a part of a 13-member consortium to
build a US$1 billion network that will connect
12 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
SingTel is expected to share the cost of the
TIS Network equally with its Thai and Indonesian project partners, while it is believed the
tab for the Sea-Me-We-4 network will be split
equally among the 13-member consortium, but
financial details haven’t been disclosed. “Construction of the TIS cable is ongoing and it will
be ready for service by the end of the year,”
SingTel spokesman Ivan Tan stated. “Sea-MeWe-4 is a work in progress although there has
been no award yet for the construction of the
cable,” Tan said.
SingTel’s ongoing cable investments come
after its US$1.9 billion, 17,000-kilometre C2C
cable network recently defaulted on bank loans
as severe overcapacity in the wholesale bandwidth industry led to substantial losses. It had
been hoped C2C would tap the growing
demand for wholesale bandwidth, by reselling
capacity to outside customers, but sufficient
demand didn’t materialize. But in a consortium
project like SMW4, telecom operators tend to
share the available capacity among them.
SingTel has said previously it doesn’t expect a
shortage of demand will affect its new cable projects. Overcapacity has been concentrated on the
Atlantic region, hurting C2C, which connects
seven Asian countries in a loop system to the U.S.
“C2C does suffer from excess capacity
whereas the Middle East and Europe routes
don’t have much capacity, so it makes sense to
invest in this area,” said Standard & Poor’s
Equity Research analyst Steven Koh. “And
between Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore,
oversupply is not as bad as the rest of the Asia
Pacific region,” he said.
SingTel also insists C2C’s woes won’t delay
its other cable plans, with SMW4 expected to
be completed to the 2005 schedule. “It takes
12 to 18 months for the (SMW4) cable to be
completed, so 2005 remains possible,” Tan
said. According to SingTel’s first quarter disclo-
Page 6
sure statements earlier this month, lenders
informed C2C it had defaulted on its US$592
million loan, which comes after C2C missed
financial targets last year. “C2C, like most of its
industry peers, has faced an extremely challenging operating environment over the past 18
months, with rapidly falling bandwidth prices
and lower than expected market demand,”
according to SingTel’s first quarter statement.
C2C and the lenders, which include Citigroup
Inc (C), Bayerische Landesbank Girozentrale
(G.BLG), Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc
(JMF) and China’s biggest and unlisted bank,
Industrial Commercial Bank of China, are currently negotiating a restructuring of the debt.
SingTel wrote off its entire S$348 million equity investment in C2C in the fourth quarter
ended March due to its poor performance. In
the first quarter ended June, C2C lost US$24
million on revenue of US$15 million.
PROJECT UPDATES
ASIA
INDONESIA
Siemens and Pirelli expand network infrastructure
The Indonesian telecommunications company
Indosat has commissioned Pirelli and Siemens
as a consortium to deliver a turnkey high-speed
optical fibre networks. The three subnetworks
in East Java, Jakarta-Bandung, and Sumatra
cover a total of more than 1376 km. They form
the backbone for nationwide transport of both
fixed network and mobile telephony data. The
order volume is around 20 million euro and it
will consolidate the already strong position of
Siemens and Pirelli in Indonesia, generating
more opportunities for future telecommunication projects in the region.
The Indonesian telecommunication market
offers, in fact, interesting business opportunities, due to its population of around 220 million
and a fixed line penetration coefficient of only
3%. Thanks to this new high-speed optical fibre
TOKYO ELECTRIC
POWER CO.
Tepco apologizes over erroneous
suspicions
network, based on SDH (Synchronous Digital
Hierarchy) technology, Indosat will have
enough transport capacity to offer telecommunications services nationwide via its own backbone network and will thus realize another step
towards its strategic goal of becoming a
viding complete and integrated optical networks - employing terrestrial and submarine
systems - and of customizing best city-to-city
solutions based on each customer’s needs.
“full-service operator”. Siemens IC Networks,
the consortium leader, will provide the transmission equipment, as well as the relevant
cable and equipment installation, aiming at setting up the complete solution in just a half year.
Pirelli is a global producer of Tyres, Energy and
Telecommunication Cables and Systems. With
more than 34,000 employees, 77 production
sites, and total sales of 6.311 billion Euros at
31st December 2002, Pirelli is one of the
world’s leading companies. It focuses its R&D,
production resources and competencies on leading-edge technologies, as demonstrated by the
advanced Pirelli Labs in the photonics and new
materials fields and by MIRS – Modular Integrated Robotized System for tyres production.
Pirelli will deliver the terrestrial cable,
equipped with 24 new Pirelli SM Light fibres,
offering the world’s most advanced characteristics both for PMD (Polarization Mode Dispersion) quoted specification and for splicing performance.
The project strengthens the partnership
between Pirelli and Siemens, which came into
being in May 2001 with the goal of jointly pronation’s top utility were unfounded and that
there was nothing to indicate any criminal case
could be established. The cable most likely
short-circuited due to insulation corrosion, in
addition to its great load due to tension and
other forces, they said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. apologized for the
confusion caused by its suspicions — eventually proved unfounded – that someone had severed an undersea cable supplying an island
with electricity in April.
Fumio Kaji, head of Tepco’s Numazu branch,
told a news conference he was sorry the firm
caused such a hubbub over the incident.
Underwater electricity cables found severed
in April are shown by Japan Coast Guard officials in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, after it
was determined that no foul play was involved.
“We reported (the cable damage) to police
because it was a phenomenon we had never
experienced before,” he said, adding that this
would serve as a lesson for the utility to
improve its investigative and research skills to
prevent a recurrence.
The severing of the cable on the morning of
April 19 temporarily left Hatsushima Island off
Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, without power.
Japan Coast Guard officials said that an
investigation into the allegations by the
Tepco said it could not spot the corrosion during a regular inspection of the cable in February
2002. Company officials said they would
increase the frequency of cable inspections and
review the way the checks are conducted. At
Page 7
About Pirelli
Additional information on Pirelli is available
at: www.pirelli.com
the same time, they added they would also be
better prepared to deal promptly with similar
accidents.
The cable was comprised of four lead wires —
three for electricity transmission and one for
telecommunications. Protective iron wire was
wrapped in a spiral around the bunch. According to coast guard investigations, there were no
reports of suspicious-looking vessels in the
area at the time the cable was severed, nor was
the cable cut via such artificial means as a gas
burner. Furthermore, the coast guard asked two
expert bodies, including the National Research
Institute of Fire and Disaster in Mitaka, western Tokyo, for their opinions. The resulting view
was that because the insulators of each of the
wires had corroded, a portion of the electric
current flowing through the wires flowed
through different wires, transmitted via the
protective wire, causing a short circuit.
PROJECT UPDATES
NORTH AMERICA
CONNECTICUT
Cross-Sound-Cable starts new
battle with New York
During the American Revolution, residents of
Connecticut and Long Island engaged in a nasty
campaign of guerrilla-style raids against each
other using whaleboats to cross Long Island
Sound. There were pitched battles, kidnappings,
lootings, house burnings and assassinations.
The way the rhetoric has been heating up
lately over the controversial cross-Sound cable,
we might be in for round two of the “Whaleboat War.”
New York Gov. George Pataki called Connecticut opposition to operation of the undersea
cable “mindless parochialism” and “the worst
of parochial politics.”
When Long Island Power Authority Chairman
Richard Kessel was informed that federal
authorities had ordered the cable into operation
during the recent blackout, he was ecstatic.
“We just got 100 megawatts — Screw Connecticut!” Kessel shouted, according to a newspaper report.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, meanwhile, is threatening legal action
unless the federal government revokes its tem-
porary order allowing emergency operation of
the cable.
Blumenthal charged that the federal order
was no longer necessary because the blackout
emergency had passed and because it represented an unconstitutional intrusion in Connecticut’s right to protect its environment.
“They can thumb their nose at Connecticut,
but they can’t thumb their nose at the law!”
declared Blumenthal.
Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, who said
that he could live with an emergency authorization to operate the cable until September, continued to insist that the cable shouldn’t be
given permanent approval until it meets all
environmental permit requirements.
The 24-mile submarine cable between New
Haven and Shoreham, N.Y., was installed more
than a year ago. But the operators failed to bury
it to the required depth for hundreds of feet in
New Haven Harbor because of rock ledge and
other obstructions.
The 300-megawatt line was designed to
carry cheap power from Canada and New England to the lucrative Long Island energy market,
where constantly increasing demands for
power have resulted in some of the highest
electricity prices in the nation.
Cross-Sound Cable Co., which is a partnership involving a subsidiary of the Canadian
power giant Hydro-Quebec and United Illuminating, has been desperate to get the cable in
operation. Every day that passes costs the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost
revenue.
New York and LIPA officials are equally desperate, since so few new generating facilities
have been built on Long Island in recent years.
Although Pataki and Kessel scream about Connecticut’s “Not In My Back Yard” attitude about
the cross-Sound cable, that same NIMBY sentiment has clearly contributed to local Long
Island opposition to new power plants.
This month’s huge regional blackout has
given New York, the owners of the cable and
President Bush’s administration a wonderful
new rationale for getting the cable turned on,
regardless of Connecticut’s environmental
objections.
Connecticut officials insist that the lack of an
operational cross-Sound cable had absolutely
nothing to do with causing the blackout, which
was triggered by failures in Ohio.
But that may not be enough to stop this new
kind of “Whaleboat War.”
Is your subscription running out soon?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 8
PROJECT UPDATES
NORTH AMERICA
OHIO
Freighter snaps lake power line
An unidentified freighter yanked up and severed one of Kelleys Island’s two underwater
primary power lines, causing blackouts and
hampering businesses, Mayor Rob Quinn said.
And the cable might take months to replace.
The mishap occurred already about 9:30 a.m.
July 28. The electrical cable extended nearly
four miles across the Lake Erie bottom, from
the mainland Hancock-Wood Electric Co-Op
substation at Lakeside to a terminus near the
Kelleys Island post office. Quinn said a tugbarge combination might have accidentally
snagged the line with an anchor, and then
dragged it westward about a half mile.
“At some point, they ended up severing it in two
different locations. They tore it right out of the
ground on the mainland side,” Quinn said. “They
took about a mile and a half section out of it.
“This not a piece of wire you can go down to
the hardware store and buy. I’ve heard cost
estimates anywhere from $2 million to $5 million dollars to repair it. Somebody’s not going to
be happy.”
Kelleys Island now receives electricity from a
second Hancock-Wood underwater line. That
twin parallel cable, located several hundred
feet away from the damaged line, was installed
as a redundant back up, Quinn said.
Since the accident, Quinn said the island has
experienced more blackouts than normal.
After the line was severed, the Kellstone Inc.
limestone quarry on Bookerman
“The island can no longer supply us power, so
we had to go to generators,” Kunar said. “We
worked around the clock to get up and running
because this is our busy time of year.”
A rented 2,000-kilowatt generator now powers the plant. Kellstone had to shut down for
one day while company leaders scrambled to
find an alternative source of electricity. The
facility employs about 30 workers.
“It’s put us into turmoil here,” Kunar said.
“It’s kind of subsided right now because we’re
set up (with the generator), but for the first
week it was a hectic thing.”
He said the power woes would spark an
increase in the quarry’s limestone costs.
Hancock-Wood supplies power for 11,600
customers in 10 Northwest Ohio counties,
according to the co-op’s Web site. Bill Barnhart, manager of operations and engineering,
said the entire four-mile cable must be replaced
— after a series of tests concluded last week,
damages were deemed to be too extensive to
repair.
“We have never had an incident with any of
our submarine cables where they were severed,” Barnhart said. “Cable manufacturers
don’t have anything like this in stock or on
hand. You order it and they have to fabricate it.”
He said material costs alone would likely hit
$1 million. The cable is about 2 1/4 inches in
diameter, comprised of three conductors and
protective steel armour.
Barnhart said Hancock-Wood is receiving preliminary construction bids, but no cable
replacement timeline has been established.
Road was asked by Hancock-Wood to cease
operations, general manager Ralph Kunar said:
Page 9
USA MASSACHUSETTS
Winergy shelves four planned turbine sites
Citing public opposition a New York-based
company has dropped plans for four of seven
sites for offshore wind energy generation facilities along the Massachusetts coast.
Winergy LLC, from Shirley, N.Y., is still pursuing three other sites, said Robert Link, the company’s compliance officer.
The discarded sites include a 10-turbine project off Falmouth, a similarly sized project off
Gloucester, and two larger proposals south of
Nantucket.
Winergy is still considering a 10-turbine project off Provincetown, in state waters, and two
projects - one with 212 turbines, the other with
208 - south and east of Nantucket on Nantucket Shoals.
Both of those are in federal waters.
Cape Wind Associates, of Yarmouth port and
Boston, is well along in its environmental
review for a 130-turbine wind farm in Nantucket Sound.
If approved, it would be the country’s first
offshore wind energy facility.
Winergy is the second company to apply to
the Army Corps of Engineers for wind farm permits, but is at the beginning stages of the
process.
The Corps has already been gathering public
comment on Winergy’s proposals in hearings
and through the mail. Negative comments in
continues on P. 10
PROJECT UPDATES
NORTH AMERICA
USA MASSACHUSETTS
Winergy shelves four planned turbine sites
Link said the remaining 17 sites will be whittled down to 10 within the next several weeks.
the boundaries of the Cape Cod National
Seashore.
“We’re only looking to develop three or four
sites anyway,” he said.
Winergy is farthest along in the planning
process with a 150-turbine wind farm off the
Virginia coast.
continued
that process caused Winergy to back away from
the Falmouth, Gloucester and Nantucket sites.
“We looked at the public comments, and
we’re trying to accommodate everybody,” Link
said.
However, he added that the Provincetown
site, a mile offshore, generally was well
received.
Winergy has said that while it identified
some 21 sites along the East Coast, it had no
intention of developing them all.
New England region Army Corps spokesman
Larry Rosenberg said his agency has not yet
decided whether the company will have to file
full-scale environmental impact statements
under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Under the state’s equivalent statute, officials
have already ruled that a similar environmental
study must be conducted for the Provincetown
site.
Link said the site selection process there
included four alternatives, but the near-shore
site was preferred by the state, and Northampton County, which can exercise more control
over the project, and collect tax revenue.
Although within sight of shore, the project is
partially blocked by uninhabited barrier islands
just off the coast.
Link said that the National Park Service has
also alerted Winergy that it will require such a
study for the Provincetown wind farm, since
the electric cable would come ashore within
India Telecom News (ITN)
is your one stop resource for the converging voice and data industry in India.
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weekly newsletter with highest international reach.
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• ITN News Weekly, India's largest circulated telecom newsletter, is published on the first business day of the week - on Monday
Our Editor Dr. Udaylal Pai is a senior freelance reporter/editor/writer in India who has been specializing in Telecom industry for the last 6 years.
He is quoted in media and his knowledge of the industry is a valuable resource for the market. He has been working as Indian contributor to various international publications like Internet News (USA), Global Wireless (RCR group, USA), VNU Business Publications (UK), Techweb (CMPnet, USA), IDG News Service (IDC Group, USA) and IGI Group, USA. He has written articles in telecom magazines like New Media, Phone + International, Sounding Board (USA) Telepolis (Germany), Teleresources (Australia), FT media - Telecom (Asia), Wireless Week (Cahners, USA), Broadband Wireless Business Magazine, tele.com - Commweb. He is still writing for telecom magazines on a freelance basis.
Page 10
PROJECT UPDATES
SOUTH AMERICA
COLOMBIA PANAMA
Electric Interconnection project
planned
The governments of Panama and Colombia
are close to starting an environmental study for
a 400km, 300MW electric interconnection
project between the two countries.
The best route is reported to be an undersea
cable running from Colombia’s Gulf of Uraba
following the coast to the north of Bayano in
Panama. The design, construction and financing stages of the project will start once the
study is complete and the line could be up and
running by 2005. The line would deliver cheap-
er Colombian power to Panama, and could
allow consumer bills to be cut by 20-30%,
according to Jose Quiros Ponce, general manager of state owned transmission company
Etesa. Panama would use 180MW and ship the
other 120MW on to Costa Rica and from there
to Central America, he said.
Panama is also working with Costa Rica to
build their part of the Central American power
interconnection project (Siepac), the so-called
“friendship ring” that would interconnect Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The Panama-Costa Rica
section should be completed in the first semester 2005 and will increase the power that
Panama can export to Central America to
120MW.
RUMOURS:
FALKLAND
ISLANDS
Domestic system in planning?
There are rumours in the industry that a
domestic submarine cable system is in planning, connecting several islands of the Falklands in the South Atlantic.
According to our source is the project
already very advanced and a supplier will be
selected soon. The system will be approx.
200 km long.
Latest news: Rumours are out that GMSL
has been the successful bidder for this
“secret” project.
New Times-New Strategies:
ICT Rising from the Ashes
26th Annual Telecommunications Conference & Exhibition
11-14 January 2004, Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort &
Spa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
New Times - New Strategies, the theme for PTC'04, emphasizes the opportunities that currently exist in the global marketplace for information and communication technologies
(ICTs). While North America and Europe still struggle to reinvigorate their economies, several Asian countries have
surged ahead in leadership positions with new technologies.
PTC’s annual conference offers a congenial venue to interact
with major players in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference
has long been the most important event that ties Asia to the
Americas and the rest of the world.
Seize this golden opportunity to maximize your total participation in PTC’04 by:
• Registering on or before 31 October 2003 and save.
• Exhibiting
• Sponsoring
• Advertising
Please contact Dolores Fung at +1.808.941.3789, email:
[email protected] or visit the PTC’04 website at
www.ptc2004.org or more information. PTC members enjoy
40% discount on the conference fee. If you are not a PTC
member and are interested in joining, please email Justin
Riel at [email protected].
Page 11
PROJECT UPDATES
WORLD
NORWAY - JAPAN
POLARNET Survey update
Picture: Polarnet Project Ltd.
The First Trans Arctic Marine Cable Route Sur vey Nears Completion
By Amad Purtow, Managing Director of Polarnet and Oleg V. Malov, Chief Specialist of ZAO
Polarnet
Polarnet is an international submarine telecommunications project, which shall link Western
Europe with South East Asia and the Western
Coast of the United States of America via the
Arctic Ocean. This route has never been used
before for laying cable systems so some pioneering work was necessary to establish
whether it is possible to lay a cable system in
that region and operate it reliably. Two feasibility studies were commissioned in 2001. Both
indicated that the construction of such a system is possible if certain rules are followed and
precautions are taken.
A desktop study then followed to select the
most optimal route for the underwater cable
system in the complex Arctic Portion. The desktop study needed also to establish the requirements for organising the marine survey work in
the Polar Region, which is rarely visited, and
the prerequisite for cable installation in that
region.
The desktop study of Polarnet has nominally
split the cable route that runs through the Arctic
Ocean into three separate zones referred to as:
• The Western Segment (approx 2100 kms
cable)
Survey ship “KOLA”
• The Central Segment (approx 2600 kms
cable), and
• The Eastern Segment (approx 1400 kms).
During 2002 Polarnet Project Ltd and its sister
company ZAO Polarnet Russia have awarded
contracts for the marine survey of the Eastern
and Western Segments using conventional survey vessels and systems. The marine surveys
were undertaken by the Russian sister company of Polarnet Project Limited, namely ZAO
Polarnet Project, which has and continues to
play the major role in the design of this international project.
The Russian company Lenmorniiproekt was
selected to survey both sections of the route
because of their Arctic experience and their
access to the necessary specialists required to
meet the challenge. The survey used two
research vessels namely the NIKOLAI
KOLOMEITSEV for the Eastern section and the
PETR KOTTSOV for the Western section. The
results of the surveys are well documented in
the final report.
The remaining and most challenging segment
of the Arctic route is being surveyed during the
Page 12
summer of 2003. Polarnet has again awarded
the survey contract to Lenmorniiproekt based
on their past performance and expertise. Thus
in July 2003 the final part of the cable route
survey of the Russian segment of Polarnet was
resumed. The marine survey, which is being
conducted now, is carried out in the Arctic
zone where for the most part, the route passes
through sea ice.
Participating in the 2003 cable route survey
are Mr. V.N. Raskatov (Chief Project Engineer &
Deputy Director OAO Lenmorniiproekt), Mr. V.
Kirichenko (Vice President ZAO Polarnet Project) and Mr. O.V. Malov (Chief Specialist, ZAO
Polarnet Project) who conducted and developed the desktop study for the project.
Ice reports for this year confirm the original
forecast of the sea ice conditions for 2003.
They reports speak of very heavy conditions,
with high concentrations of thick ice. The conditions are reported to be amongst the worst
ever encountered. To withstand these conditions a special ice-class survey vessel and icebreaker escort (see attached photographs)
have been commissioned to carry out the surcontinues on P. 13
PROJECT UPDATES
WORLD
NORWAY - JAPAN
POLARNET Survey update
Picture: Polarnet Project Ltd.
The First Trans Arctic Marine Cable Route Sur vey Nears Completion
By Amad Purtow, Managing Director of Polarnet and Oleg V. Malov, Chief Specialist of ZAO
Polarnet
continued
vey (legal requirements) and are actually in use
today. The re-enforced ice class vessel has been
in dry dock in Murmansk for several months
undergoing a conversion to a survey type vessel. The survey instruments deployed are proprietary having maximum protection from ice
impact damage.
For maximum safety, Lenmorniiproekt have
commissioned extensive modeling of the ice
conditions using the well-known Finnish Laboratory owned by MARC (Kvaerner Masa-Yards
Technology Artic Research Centre). The conclusion of the simulation activity indicate that
working in the Arctic Region and in particular
along the Polarnet Route is less daunting than
initially thought, provided that certain precautions are taken.
The KOLA (survey ship) sailed on 21st July
2003 followed two days later by the SOVETSKIY SOYUZ (nuclear ice breaker). The vessels
made very slow progress at the beginning
owing to the severe conditions but have by now
surmounted the problems and gathered some
valuable survey data.
The survey is expected to last up to 3 months.
Thus of special interest were such issues as
Nuclear Ice breaker “SOVETSKIY SOYUZ”
accommodation as well as technical issues
relating to the use of the antennae which have
been attached to the hull of the Kola. The survey instrumentation was equipped with special
protection to deflect broken ice away from the
sensitive equipment. The survey equipment
includes multi beam echo sounders manufactured by the Danish firm “Reson” and the latest
Russian automated hydrographic complex
“Muscat - ?????-300”. Both types of equipment can work simultaneously, thus guaranteeing maximum reliability of the received results.
The complex ice conditions encountered at
the beginning of the survey, have forced participants of the expedition to develop working
procedures in short timescales, and after several sleepless nights and days, to define in
practice the basic requirements and methodology for vessel control and operating modes
of the surveying equipment.
It is necessary to note that even to the
highly skilled and experienced Captains of the
vessels KOLA and SOVETSKIY SOYUZ the
survey work carried out by the expedition
essentially differs from the usual polar journeys. The issue now is not transiting around
complex ice conditions but to maintain the
Page 13
route set by the desktop study regardless of the
ice conditions.
On 17th August the expedition reached the
final point of the survey having successfully
navigated through the Arctic sea ice and provided an acceptable overlap with both the
2002 Eastern & Western survey results. Thus,
it was possible in less than one month to link
the route with that established by last years
survey. Since then the survey convoy has continued to gather data whilst homeward bound
for Murmansk, supplementing and processing
the survey results to increase the width of the
survey corridor.
We expect the survey to be completed during
the week commencing 21st September, ahead
of schedule. Polarnet Project Limited hopes to
provide highlights and details of the survey
operation to the readers of SCN during the next
few months.
PROJECT UPDATES
WORLD
FRANCE SINGAPORE
SEA-ME-WE 4 submarine cable
consortium bids open
On the 08th of September 2004, the multicountry submarine cable consortium opened
bids for a mega project on transcontinental
submarine cable, which will connect
Bangladesh with the high-speed global telecom
network by July 2005.
Members of SEA-ME-WE4 (Southeast AsiaMiddle East-Western Europe 4) consortium
were present when the bids were opened in
Rome. Aliwardi Khandker, general manager
(Planning and Development) of Bangladesh
Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), represented Bangladesh in the event.
French Alcatel, American Tyco, Italian Pirelli
and German NSW along with KDD, Fujitsu and
NEC of Japan are trying to get the contract for
building the US$ 750 million submarine cable
system.
Arabia, Egypt, Italy and France along with troubled American carrier WorldCom and Indian
private carrier Bharti are members of this consortium.
estimated US$ 750 million project cost.
Bangladesh government has earmarked US$
65 million as BTTB’s contribution to the consortium.
But Indonesia withdrew its membership
when SingTel of Singapore acquired major
shares of Indosat, state-owned telecom agency
of Indonesia.
The contract to build this cable system will be
awarded to successful bidder in March 2004.
The contractor will have to commission the
cable system within 16 months. Therefore,
Bangladesh will be terrestrially connected with
the high-speed global telecom network not
later than July 2005.
Meanwhile, the dominant carriers of Thailand, Algeria and Tunisia have expressed their
desire to join the SEA-ME-WE4 consortium.
Cable and Wireless of the UK and Reliance
Group of India are also interested to be linked
with this submarine cable network. The consortium will accept these new entrants if it
faces the shortage of fund.
The consortium members will conduct primary evaluation of these bids by the 12th of
September in Rome. Then the consortium, with
its primary evaluation report, will meet the bidders in Singapore from October 6 to 15. The
second and final meeting with the bidders will
be held in Kuala Lumpur during November 3 to
10.
Lucent of USA, Nortel of Canada, Siemens of
Germany and Ciena of France are also contesting to supply the peripheral equipment of this
undersea network.
By then the consortium will have precise idea
about its investment on this transoceanic submarine cable network.
State-owned telecom providers of Singapore,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Sources said despite the global downturn in
the telecom investment, the consortium members have already committed 84 per cent of the
Meanwhile, BTTB has shifted the location of
its submarine cable’s landing station from Chittagong to Cox’s Bazar. Sources said the high
risk of cable cut due to fishing and anchoring in
the Chittagong coast has prompted this dispute.
BTTB is now going to invite an international
tender to rollout 160 kilometres optical fibre
cable from Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong.
The government has earmarked Tk 40 crore
for this project. Initially it will be equipped with
622 Megabits per second (Mbps) capacity to
carry 8,064 voice circuits. Ultimately it will be
upgraded to 1,000 Mbps to handle 129,024
simultaneous international phone calls. Currently BTTB handles at a time only 3,333 international phone calls through its satellite circuits.
Any Rumours you want to share?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 14
COMPANY NEWS
FLAG TELECOM
GROUP LIMITED (I)
aged bandwidth services, vPoP and co-location
services.
FLAG Files Quarterly Report
Patrick Gallagher, FLAG Telecom’s Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said: “During
the second quarter of 2003 we continued to
build on our strong customer base and we saw
continued growth in customer confidence. This
growth, together with a strong cash position,
has enabled us to announce our intention to
pre-pay a significant portion of our outstanding
indebtedness by the end of August 2003.”“We
remain confident that our unique network footprint and suite of flexible products will enable
us to maintain and consolidate our leading
global market position.”
On the 18th of August 2003, FLAG Telecom
Group Limited announced that it has filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission its
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period
ended June 30, 2003.
FLAG announced that total revenues in the
three and six months ended June 30, 2003
were $33.5 million and $63.1 million, respectively. Furthermore, FLAG has entered into new
customer contracts with a value of $36.8 million and $78.9 million during these same periods, underlining customer confidence both in
the company and in the quality and breadth of
its network. The company stated that it continues to experience strong demand for network
services activities, including IP Transit, man-
FLAG TELECOM (II)
Revitalised Flag Telecom at Telecom World 2003
On the 28th of August 2003, FLAG Telecom
announced that it will be exhibiting at the ITU
Telecom World 2003 event in Geneva from 12
to 18 October 2003. Patrick Gallagher, FLAG’s
Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer will
be speaking at the Forum on 13 October 2003.
FLAG Telecom is a leading independent
provider of international wholesale network
services to telecommunications carriers, ISPs,
content providers and other broadband operators. It has an established customer base of
more than 180 leading operators, including all
of the top ten international carriers*
(*Telegeography 2002). In Geneva, FLAG will
be located on stand number 4229 in Hall 4,
alongside several of its international cus-
providers and other broadband operators. Its
unique network spans four continents, connecting key markets in the Middle East, Asia,
the USA and Europe. FLAG offers a focused
range of global products, including bandwidth,
IP, Internet, Ethernet and Co-Location services.
Recent news releases and further information
are on FLAG Telecom’s website at: www.flagtelecom.com and for full details of its financial
results and for its intention to pay off one of its
loans early, please see the latest Form 10-Q as
filed with the SEC.
For further information, contact:
FLAG Telecom
Mr Willem Baralt
Group Treasurer
Treasury and Investor Relations
+44 (0)20 7317 0837
[email protected]
About FLAG Telecom
FLAG Telecom is a leading provider of international wholesale network transport and communications services to carriers, ISPs, content
tomers, including Korea Telecom, Samsung
Networks Inc and Swisscom.
FLAG Telecom owns and manages an extensive global optical fibre network connecting key
business markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle
East and the USA. FLAG also owns and operates a low latency global MPLS based IP network, which connects most of the world’s principal international Internet exchanges. At the
show the company will be focusing on its
extensive range of global bandwidth, IP, Internet, Ethernet and co-location services offered
to the wholesale communications and Internet
community. The exhibit will underscore FLAG’s
aim of defining the standard for excellence in
providing the best quality, best value and most
flexible connectivity eastwards and westwards
between any two points on its network.
Patrick Gallagher said: “The timing of this
gathering of the global telecommunications
Page 15
industry at Telecom World 2003 could not have
been better for FLAG Telecom. At the Telecom
World show, we will be celebrating the
anniversary of our emergence from restructuring. We are a lean and agile organisation with a
healthy balance sheet, strong liquidity position,
a forward-looking global operating strategy and
nearly one year of successful performance
behind us since we completed our restructuring. This, coupled with our network assets, valued customer base and service capabilities provide the company with a sound platform to
maintain and consolidate its leading global
market position.
“We continue to build on our strong international customer base and have recently rebranded the Company to reflect the core
strengths of our multi-cultural heritage, global
operating strategy, and independence.”
COMPANY NEWS
GLOBAL MARINE
SYSTEMS LTD.
CEO’s summer message – 2003
“It has been a challenging and tough year since
I joined Global Marine as
the Chief Executive Officer last September. Faced
with numbers, which
clearly showed that we
Phil Metcalf
could be going out of busi- CEO Global Marine
ness, the almost immediate loss of ACMA, one
of the mainstays of Global Marine in recent
years, and a portfolio of assets that were simply not working and paying their way, we were
in some trouble. Others in the industry saw this
too, re-doubled their efforts in competing with
us, and for a time managed to make some
headway in taking business from us, and convincing the market place that we would not be
around much longer. Having a parent company
that was in no position to help increased the
scale of the problem.
Well, we are still here, and stronger than ever.
We have reduced our cost base, we have sold
assets, we have maintained and improved our
cash position, and we have convinced every
single community of interest that we are here
for the future. Our parent company is likewise
in great shape and working much more closely
with us. The loss of ACMA was mitigated by
the Guardian solution that I talked about in my
previous message, and we are seeing tremendous success and take up of this tailored solution that really helps some of our customers
manage their business in a much more effective manner.
Our latest wins include BP and Hibernia, who
have both signed up to our Guardian Total
Maintenance Solution. The maintenance agreement with BP covers telecommunication cables
to a number of BP and third party-managed off-
shore platforms in the North Sea, whilst the
Hibernian contract is for a cable system
stretching from Dublin to Canada, to Liverpool
via Boston and back to Dublin again. Both customers highlighted our flexible, innovative
approach to maintenance solutions as a key
factor in their decision to select Global Marine
above our competitors.
Our fleet is extremely well positioned and
flexible enough to meet the needs of a market
that has changed beyond recognition. One thing
I predicted a year ago was the demise of the
long-haul systems, and a shift towards regional network systems. This has proven to be the
case, and we have been successful in winning
a good share of the systems that have been
awarded and in the case of Svalbard for the
European Space Agency, installed in large part
already. They are working with NASA to link an
earth satellite located on the remote Arctic
island of Svalbard with their communications
interface on mainland Norway.
It was Global Marine’s superior technical
solution that brought us this win (under contract to system provider Tyco), reinforcing our
reputation as the quality and innovative
provider in our industry. Incidentally, this installation has just broken the world record for the
depth of water in which a cable has been
buried, achieving a depth of 1680 metres, and
with the project on course to complete ahead of
schedule, Global Marine is justifiably proud of
the achievements of the team.
All this good fortune was not entirely accidental though. Our organisational re-design,
the launch of our Regional Network Solution
product, and as a result our improved performance, went a long way to winning this business. We will continue to add to this capability,
and for the first time recently we were able to
offer a complete installation, maintenance, and
capacity solution through working with our
parent company Global Crossing. No one can
Page 16
offer such compelling solutions to the market at
extremely competitive rates. And our reach is
global. Combined with a complete solution
capability, this makes it very simple for customers, who need go no further than Global
Marine to get themselves to the point where
they can generate revenue.
We are very proud about the value of our
assets, and what we can use them for. We have
been very successful deploying our ROV fleet
for survey work, and other sub-sea investigations, and I can guarantee you that you will see
some innovative and novel applications as we
go through the rest of this year.
It is very significant that in June, Global
Crossing’s Monthly Operating Results included
those of Global Marine as continued business.
It reported our cash position of $67m, and
referred to the desire to maintain Global Marine
in the group of families. It is no coincidence
that we are now able to produce positive EBITDA and cash flow to the group.
In conclusion, I was not at all surprised that
the view in the market place a year ago was
that we were going out of business - we were
facing some challenges that certainly could
have taken us down that path. But we have
faced up to those challenges, and are now
stronger than ever, with a management structure that is very quick on it’s feet, with professionals who have a huge amount of experience
in this business, and massive opportunities
ahead. That helps us serve our customers even
better than we have done in the past, and in a
manner that supports their business too.
Giving up our number one position in the
industry was always going to be something
worth fighting for. We are still in that position,
and I have absolutely no intention of seeing
that change.”
COMPANY NEWS
ALCATEL
Alcatel makes 110 workers
redundant in Calais
On the 08th of September 2003, around 110
workers at the Calais plant of Alcatel Submarine Networks have been made redundant, as part of a workforce adjustment plan
affecting 213 workers at the plant, which
manufactures submarine and optical fibre
cables. The plant has a total workforce of
745 workers.
The 110 workers are those not included in
schemes such as retirement, early retirement and voluntary redundancy. In September 2002, parent company Alcatel, a leading
telecoms equipment group, had announced
9,000 job losses, adding to the 10,000
announced only a few months earlier.
JAMES FISHER
MANX ELECTRICITY
AUTHORITY
Blackouts won’t hit the Isle of Man
The Island’s (Isle of Man, UK) electricity network is now so strong that mass blackouts similar to those experienced in America and London recently can’t happen here, according to
Manx Electricity Authority chief executive Mike
Proffitt.
His comments follow the successful completion of the big test of the submarine cable
between Douglas and Blackpool on the 31st of
August 2003.
A gas turbine at the new Pulrose power station was switched off, leaving the cable to back
it up and shoulder the Island’s electricity supply.
It happened at 2pm and the changeover happened in the blink of an eye.
Growth still to come
James Fisher’s strategy of going after higher
value marine support services - in an effort to
cast off its shipping company label in favour of
a services company tag - continues to pay off.
Its marine support services division carries
out various tasks for the MoD, including providing the Royal Navy with a UK submarine rescue
service. Other big customers include British
Nuclear Fuels.
The company has made considerable progress
in turning itself around. It now gets about 39
per cent of its profits from the services unit, up
from about 17 per cent a year before.
The balance comes mainly from its tank ships
business, where it delivers fuel to the major oil
companies, and it also has a cable-laying business - which lays undersea cables for telecom
companies - although that business is not really considered a core operation for the long term.
James Fisher’s pre-tax profits in the six
months to 30 June were 11 per cent higher,
before accounting for losses on the sale of two
ships. The company is bullish on its prospects
for the rest of the year. It is particularly optimistic about marine services, which it believes
will be its biggest division before long.
Offshore Survey And Engineering
www.osae.de
Mr Proffitt explained: “We wanted to test the
cable working as resilience for the power station. The main purpose of the cable being there
is that if we lose of one of the engines the cable
will pick up that load straight away. That has
never been tested.”
RUMOURS:
ALCATEL SUBMARINE NETWORKS
More Redundancies?
There are rumours in the industry that ASN
in Greenwich has made another 35 office
people redundant.
The current downturn in the submarine
On Sunday, 31st of August 2003, the Island
was using 42MW which was being run from
the gas turbine.
cable industry has forced ASN to reduce
Mr Proffitt said: “What we did was switch
the gas turbine off at exactly 2pm so the system would think there had been a plant failure,
which it did, and the protection system automatically kicked in and the cable went from
1MW to 31MW.”
the Greenwich office might face closure by
“The good news is that it did exactly what it
was supposed to do.”
“It did that in 1/300th of a second, virtually
instantaneous. That is what it is designed to do
but we have never really had an opportunity to
test that until the power station had been completed. We stayed with it for a couple of hours.”
Mr Proffitt added: “It’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue, what happened in America and
what happened in London where they had
those blackouts. With the system that we have
now, that will just not happen to us.”
Page 17
personnel dramatically.
There are also rumours in the industry that
the end of the year.
COMPANY NEWS
MAYFLOWER
Green future?
Motor trade supplier Mayflower, owner of the
Alexanders bus and coach building operations
in Falkirk and Larbert, dangled out the prospect
of a more prosperous, green-powered, future
when chief executive John Simpson wheeled
out its latest results beginning of August.
While industry experts say the half-year figures disappoint directors are set to enthuse
about prospects for their new Mayflower Resolution ship which is designed to work on the
UK’s emerging off-shore wind-farm industry.
Already the ship has secured a major share of
a £74 million contract to install turbines off the
coast of North Wales and there is strong speculation that directors are ready to announce at
least one other significant project management
deal off the east coast of England.
METOC
Metoc focusing on marine
industry solutions at GeoSolutions
show
Metoc will be demonstrating its geographic
information solutions (GIS) for the marine
industry at the Geo Solutions 2003 Exhibition,
taking place at Earls Court 1, London, 16-18th
September 2003.
Visitors to the show will be able to see how
renewable energy companies, cable and
pipeline owners, oil & gas companies, and
ports and harbours can use GIS to improve
asset management and reduced project costs.
With offshore wind farms a key component of
the UK Government’s target to obtain 10% of
the country’s electricity supplies from renewable sources by the end of the decade, Metoc
will be showing how the use of geo-spatial
technologies can help manage the vast
amounts of data required in the planning of
wind farms.
The gossip has helped the shares to stage a
strong recovery to a current level of around
25.5p in recent weeks – more than double the
11.75p price in April when non-executive director John Major announced his decision to step
down from the board.
Some believe the enthusiasm is a little premature in view of trading elsewhere in the group
and there is concern that Chinese shipbuilders
may not be able to deliver the £30m Resolution
until November, about 12 weeks after the first
scheduled delivery date. “I’m not surprised at
the likely delay and I don’t think it is any cause
for concern,” said stockbroker Peter Jones at
Peel Hunt. “The vessel is still well ahead of any
competition and will give Mayflower a head
start in obtaining new business.
“Following the government’s decision to
sanction heavy investment in offshore wind
farms I believe the company’s energy division
Owners of submarine cables and pipelines
will be able to learn how GIS can simplify the
management of maintenance programs. Metoc
will also be introducing a new approach to data
management for ports and harbours, which
exploits GIS to provide a central information
resource for the port community.
“GIS is an invaluable tool for owners and
operators with assets in the coastal and offshore environment says Mike Osborne, the
Business Manager responsible for GIS services
at Metoc.
“But implementing a GIS in the marine environment requires a very different approach to
land-based systems, and it can be a notoriously difficult and time consuming task,” warns
Osborne.
Metoc have drawn on their 10 years experience of applying GIS for coastal and offshore
projects to help companies overcome the problems associated with this challenging environment. One example, being demonstrated at the
Page 18
will provide a major revenue stream in a relatively short time.”
Insiders point out that the delays in delivery
were as a result of Mayflower’s own decision
to expand facilities on the vessel after receiving
a rush of inquiries from prospective customers.
They stress that the actual work at sea is only
part of Mayflower’s involvement in wind farms
and believe the group has already completed
some 40% of its contract in North Wales on
land long before the first turbine is due to be
installed.
The company is said to have discussed the
likelihood of further ship orders with the
Shanghai shipyard. However the group says it
wants to see its new ship in action before
ordering more. There are also cash constraints
and total net debt stood at £163m at the end of
last year despite an inflow of £64m following a
rights issue.
show, is the SeaZone initiative. This addresses
the problem of identifying and obtaining suitable sources of marine environmental data, and
combining and formatting these data sets to
enable their use in a GIS project. SeaZone
offers a wide variety of sources available from
a single source, and delivers that data in a
ready-to-use format for GIS.
About Metoc
Metoc works with leading companies in the
water, oil & gas, power and telecoms, ports,
and renewable energy industries, helping
clients develop appropriate engineering solutions to achieve compliance, ensure asset
integrity, and reduce capital and operational
expenditure. Metoc employs professionally
qualified staff across a wide range of disciplines, which provide technical advice and project management to support all stages of a project’s lifecycle. Since its inception in 1983,
Metoc has worked on over 1000 projects in
continues on P. 19
COMPANY NEWS
SUBSEA7
Successful Deep Water Trials for
underwater vehicle
Successful deep water trials for Subsea 7’s
underwater vehicle ASV Geosub, the
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) developed by subsea engineering contractor Subsea7, has successfully completed comprehensive sea trials in Orkney’s Scapa Flow and off of
the West Coast of Scotland. The demanding
tests mean that Geosub is now ready for commercial use.
The first phase of the trials in the sheltered
waters of the Scapa Flow was conducted from
the survey vessel, Jean Charcot at the end of
July. During this phase, which lasted 10 days,
the 7m, 2,300kg vehicle executed surface and
shallow water missions’ to assess the reliability of its sub-systems and survey and positioning sensors in a water depth of up to 60m.
The second phase of the trials took place off
Raasay in water depths of up to 150m where
Geosub undertook deeper water test dives.
Murray Dick, Subsea 7’s global remote technology group manager commented: “During the
trials, Geosub consistently performed every
task that was asked of it.
The trials team worked tirelessly to ensure
the vehicle was put through the most stringent
of tests. We are delighted to have reached the
stage of taking Geosub to the commercial market and in doing so, bringing a new dimension
of the latest underwater technology to Subsea
7’s customers.”
ASV Geosub was developed, following a
licensed technology transfer, with Southampton Oceanography Centre, to address the need
for high-resolution geophysical surveys with
extremely accurate positioning in ever-deeper
waters. The initial focus for the vehicle will be
site surveys, pipeline and cable route surveys.
The vehicle is fitted with multibeam echo
sounder, sidescan sonar and sub bottom profiler systems as standard.
ASV Geosub is powered by batteries and has a
classic torpedo shape. When programmed with
a mission the vehicle is launched from the support vessel and sent a mission start command
via a VHF radio link. On the surface the vehicle
follows a figure of eightpattern until the onboard
Inertial Navigation System (INS) is calibrated.
METOC
Metoc focusing on marine
industry solutions at GeoSolutions
show
continued
more than 50 countries, ranging from desk
studies through to the management of multimillion pound projects. Metoc is a privately
owned UK limited company and operates from
offices in Hampshire.
Metoc is a business partner of ESRI (UK) and
Cadcorp, and a Licensed Partner of the UK
Hydrographic Office.
For further information contact:
Dr Mike Osborne
Informatics Manager
Metoc plc
+44 (0) 1428 728548
When this is completed the vehicle dives to a
pre programmed altitude and commences the
survey. Navigating around a pre programmed
trajectory on the seabed the vehicle gathers and
logs data from the survey sensors. During the
dive the surface vessel canif required communicate with the vehicle using an Acoustic modem.
When the vehicle has finished the mission it
will surface and be recovered by the vessel.
Submarine Networks Asia 2003
24-26 September 2003
The Oriental Hotel, Singapore
Submarine Networks World 2003 will be your best ever navigation tool to a more predictable and profitable future.
2 days conference, 8 dedicated sections, one-day workshop and over 26 international speakers - This will be your best 3
days working out of the office. Presented for the 6th year in Singapore, Submarine Networks World has all the information
you need to be know-ledgeable, successful and profitable.
This is the only submarine cable event that brings you the pertinent industry issues, the realities of today’s industry and
project updates around the region.
Be at the ONE event that submarine cable professionals MUST be at during the year - book your berth today!
For more information contact:
[email protected]
Shen Tan (Ms), Marketing Manager
Terrapinn Pte Ltd, 12 Prince Edward Road
#03-01 Bestway Bldg. Podium A, Singapore 079212
Tel: +65 6 322 2748, Fax: +65 6 226 3264
Page 19
COMPANY NEWS
UUVS 2003
UUVS: September 24th – 25th
2003
The Fifth Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
Showcase (UUVS 2003) is “only a few days
away.” Scheduled for September 24-25, 2003,
at Southampton Oceanography Centre, the popular conference already has 60 exhibitors
signed up as well as an impressive technical
program. Professor Gwyn Griffiths, UUVS Conference Committee chairman, commented,
“Military use of AUV technology continues to
expand, with vehicles now out with the fleet
undertaking real missions, reducing risk, and
increasing effectiveness. In science, microAUVs are opening up quite different applications from their larger brethren and across the
spectrum of size new challenges abound for the
next decade. ROV and unmanned airborne
vehicle (UAV) technology also moves forward
apace and dovetails well with both AUV design
and operations. Meanwhile, offshore industry
looks to an era beyond survey AUVs to the
intervention or hybrid vehicle of the future.
Underpinning all of these ambitions are exciting
developments in the core technologies that
make UUVs practical such as autonomy, data
interpretation, visualization, and docking. The
invited presentations at UUVS 2003 capture
this sense of achievement and excitement and
will provide delegates to the conference with
the opportunity to interact with leaders from
industry, defence, and academia in a way that
helps shape the future.” He is head of the
Underwater Systems Laboratory within the
centre’s Ocean Engineering Division.
This year the Southampton Oceanography
Centre’s new unmanned vehicle fleet, Isis, a
6,500-meter-rated ocean science ROV, and the
lo, a concept unmanned air vehicle, will be
available for viewing. The conference includes
a free buffet lunch, tea, and coffee at morning
and afternoon break where applicable. Delegates are also invited to attend the UUVS dinner
on September 24 at the Southampton Yacht
Club. Tickets are limited so book early to avoid
disappointment. Tickets can be ordered with
the registration form.
For more information and to register, go to
www.uuvs.net.
THALES
GEOSOLUTIONS
Thales GeoSolutions enhances
ROV capability
Thales GeoSolutions’ new generation of
remotely operated vehicle (ROV) the G3 has
been substantially enhanced to enable operation at depths of up to 4,000m.
The upgrading has been achieved by redesign
of the umbilical for increased power and
improved telemetry, strengthening of the vehicle structure for extra ruggedness, increased
buoyancy rating and the addition of enhanced
cameras and survey sensors. The G3 is now
capable of operating at full power on survey
and intervention work for extensive periods at
depths of 4,000m.
Also well suited for inspection, repair and
maintenance, the Thales G3 is a robust and
reliable, 4,000m depth rated, work class ROV
providing 125hp motive power, capable of
750kg bollard pull and a forward speed in
excess of 3.5 knots. Specifically designed for
the offshore industry, the G3 meets the multiple
demands of the sub-sea market from high-end
survey work to drill rig support.
Improvements to the structure of the G3 sees
the incorporation of high-strength titanium
communication sensor and electronics pods,
increased compensator fluid reservoir and volume, the addition of high-density buoyancy
with supplementary sponsons, together with
new cameras and survey sensors all rated for
an operational depth of 4,000m. Other
enhancements include upgraded depth rating of
the vehicle’s seven-function master/slave
manipulator and five-function grabber, a more
robust and reliable telemetry system and an
umbilical that will provide the full power of
125hp at the required depth.
Extending its working envelope, the G3 is
capable of operating in conditions of up to sea
state 6 (Beaufort 7) utilising its 10 Te SWL, 3G
launch and recovery system (LARS). In addition, depending on the prevailing weather and
operational circumstances, the ROV can be
configured with lighter work-package options
to approach up to 4G operations.
The G3’s associated control van has been
completely redesigned to provide a robust
state-of-the-art control and power system,
including an ergonomically designed pilot control station. The control van is outfitted with
industry standard components for the video,
overlay, switching and PC based SCADA condition monitoring systems, allowing ease of supply and maintenance wherever deployed
around the globe. The control van’s imbedded
wiring system reduces the possibility of accidental transit damage causing faults and safety
problems.
Project out for Tender?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 20
COMPANY NEWS
SMD
SMD in search for sunken gold
An undersea exploration vehicle designed and
built by Soil Machine Dynamics (SMD) in Newcastle, UK, is playing a key role in the salvage
of what could be the most valuable shipwreck
in history.
Newcastle based SMD specialises in remotely operated vehicles for subsea use and was
responsible for developing ‘Zeus’ which is
being used by US-based Odyssey Marine to
recover the gold on board the SS Republic
which lies off the Georgia coast.
Worth $400,000 when SS Republic set sail
the cargo is now valued at $160 million. The
money was to be used in the South’s reconstruction, and to help relieve the post-civil war
misery.
Mike Jones, sales and marketing manager at
Soil Machine Dynamics, said: “Most of the
machines we create are used for laying and
burying cables and pipelines deep undersea. It
is really exciting to see one of them being used
to find such a historically important and valuable wreck.”
The ship sank during a voyage to New
Orleans in 1865 carrying 20,000 gold coins.
The ‘Liberty Heads’ were the preferred currency of the time and weighed one ounce each.
Privately owned SMD was founded over 30
years ago by Dr Alan Reece from the University
of Newcastle and employs around 70 people.
Zeus, which was named by Odyssey Marine,
especially for this mission, weighs in at 7
tonnes, has 240 horsepower for propulsion and
INTERNATIONAL
TELECOM USA
IRS could not confirm the status of the tax lien
against International Telecom.
General Dynamics unit: Tax issues
are over
The federal government says it is owed
$686,866 in back taxes from a General
Dynamics subsidiary that shut down last year.
The Internal Revenue Service has filed a tax
lien against International Telecom USA, the
fibre-optics company owned by Falls Churchbased General Dynamics. However, officials
with General Dynamics say the company owes
no back taxes and settled the issue with the
IRS.
“Our tax department says the issue has been
resolved,” says Rob Doolittle, director of public
affairs for the company. A spokeswoman for the
This is not the first time a federal tax lien has
been filed against General Dynamics, which
employs close to 60,000 people worldwide and
owns dozens of subsidiaries. In fact, company
officials say they receive so many lien notices
from the IRS that someone from General
Dynamics works with the agency on a daily
basis.
The tax lien, filed July 15, was based on
unpaid employee withholding taxes.
A federal or state tax lien is filed against a company’s property to ensure the government is paid
back. In most cases, the liens are settled through
payments, but sometimes the tax collector takes
the company to court to seize property.
Page 21
can operate at depths of over 8000ft. The system’s cameras feed high-resolution video signals to the operators at the surface, which
enables them to control two position feedback
manipulators for retrieving the delicate artefacts.
It was originally designed for advanced deepocean fibre optic cable maintenance operations
and is perfectly suited for the rigors and precise
handling required by delicate shipwreck excavation far below the ocean’s surface.
“We should be hearing a lot more about Zeus
in the coming months as Odyssey Marine has a
deal with the British Government to recover 9
tons of gold from the shipwreck of HMS Sussex,” added Mr Jones.
International Telecom, which was based in
Baltimore and had offices in Virginia, closed
during the fourth quarter last year, officials say.
The company wrote off $112 million on its
quarterly earnings because of the closing.
The company was founded in 2000 when
General
Dynamics
(www.generaldynamics.com) combined its
Caldwell Cable Ventures subsidiary with International Telecom.
The subsidiary installed underwater fibreoptic telecom networks for large telecom companies. When the firm was founded, the fibreoptics industry — with a good deal of it centred
around Ciena and Corvis in Maryland — was
worth several billion dollars. These days, however, the industry is on pace to ring in just about
$500 million, according to industry research.
COMPANY NEWS
COLUMBIA VENTURES CORPORATION
FLORIDA CORAL
REEF DEBATE
Columbia Ventures Acquisition
of CTC Approved
Florida approved coral reef telephone cable rules
CTC Communications Group, Inc. announced
that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved its
previously announced investment agreement with Columbia Ventures Corporation
and Columbia Venture Broadband LLC, subject to the confirmation of a plan of reorganization.
The investment by Columbia Ventures forms
the basis of CTC’s forthcoming plan of reorganization. Michael Katzenstein, CTC’s
interim CEO, said, “The Bankruptcy Court
approval of the selection of Columbia Ventures as plan investor is an important step
forward for CTC and its dedicated employees. With the investment and the support of
Columbia Ventures, CTC will maintain its
position as the preeminent competitive telecom provider in the northeast. CTC thanks
its customers for their continued belief in
our company.” He noted that CTC expects to
emerge from Chapter 11 with funding for
growth, a reinvigorated business plan and a
substantially unleveled balance sheet.
CTC also announced that all regulatory filings required to consummate the transaction have been made by CTC and Columbia
Ventures.
Kenneth D. Peterson, Jr., Columbia Ventures
CEO, stated, “I am delighted by the decision,
which puts CTC on course to emerge from
Chapter 11 before the end of the year. We
believe CTC’s employees are among the best
in the industry and we look forward to closing this transaction as quickly as possible.
CTC’s customers have shown their loyalty
and proven their good judgment. Their confidence will be rewarded by CTC’s strong
customer orientation, the continuation of
superior existing services and the new services that we plan to roll out.”
On the 26th of August 2003, the state of
Florida approved rules governing how and
where telecommunications companies can lay
undersea fibre optic cables in areas where
there are coral reefs.
Florida, which has the most extensive living
coral reef system in North America, will require
phone companies to lay Internet and telephone
cables in designated gaps in the reefs and prohibit them from putting phone lines in certain
areas.
Environmentalists proposed the rules due to
concern that telephone cables laid on top of the
reefs could sway back and forth in storms or
when snagged by anchors, damaging the delicate coral, which can take up to a thousand
years to grow.
“As far as we can tell, we’re the first government to have a policy that directs underwater
facilities to be sited through the gaps and going
around the reefs,” David Struhs secretary of
Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection stated.
While the policy does not expressly forbid
companies from putting cables over coral reefs,
it does create a number of bureaucratic hurdles,
including highly publicized meetings if companies forsake approved routes, Struhs said.
The rule prohibits laying cables in the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve and the coastal
waters of Monroe County, which is home to the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and
the only U.S. barrier reef.
An environmental group that studied the
effect of cables on coral reefs had hoped cables
Page 22
would be banned from larger areas, but it welcomed the rules and said they should be
extended beyond Florida and beyond phone line
regulation.
“What the governor has done is he’s created
a model by which other jurisdictions can now
regulate,” said Dan Meyer, general counsel at
Florida’s Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility (PEER).
“The question now needs to be put in front of
the Federal Communications Commission,” said
Meyer, who plans to attempt to push the U.S.
telecommunications regulator in this direction.
If the FCC makes a general ruling, then states
near coral systems such as Hawaii, Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands would not need to make
individual rulings, Meyer suggested.
Gerald Tourgee of the North American Submarine Cable Association, which includes companies such as AT&T Corp. T.N Global Crossing
Ltd. and MCI, declined to comment on the ruling. He said that members were very concerned
about anything that could affect their options.
PEER’s Meyer said the rules should be
extended to govern submarine natural gas
pipelines in the United States and could be a
model for other countries with coral reefs such
as Israel, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
Struhs stated that officials from New Zealand
and Australia had already asked about Florida’s
rules.
The rules, which were approved without
debate at a Florida cabinet meeting, will go into
effect 21 days after they are filed with the
Department of State.
COMPANY NEWS
NEW WORLD
NETWORK LTD. (I)
Telgua expands its Network
Connectivity through New World
Network’s ARCOS Submarine Network
On the 13th of August 2003, New World Network, Ltd., a leading provider of advanced,
high-speed clear channel and IP services and
the principal owner of the Americas Region
Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS),
announced a major capacity sale and lease
agreement that extends Telgua’s national network to Central America, South America and
the Caribbean. New World Network will provide Telgua, the leading telecommunication
company in Guatemala, with international
capacity, which will deliver high quality fibre
optic connectivity for existing and future voice,
data and IP traffic in Guatemala. This agree-
NEW WORLD
NETWORK (II)
Fibre-Optic Connectivity expanded
through an Agreement with Enitel
End of July 2003, New World Network, Ltd.,
a leading provider of advanced, high-speed
clear channel and IP services and the principal
owner of the Americas Region Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS), signed a Backhaul
agreement with Enitel, the primary telecommunication provider in Nicaragua. Enitel will provide backhaul facilities and services connecting
the ARCOS-1 landing stations of Bluefield with
Managua and other cities in Enitel’s network.
“This agreement represents Enitel commitment
to expand Nicaragua’s telecommunications
services.” said Dr. Carlos Ramos, General Man-
ment provides Telgua world-class carrier grade
IP services with the scalability, quality of services and reliability of the ARCOS network. This
is a key step for Telgua in its ongoing commitment to deliver new and innovative services to
customers in Guatemala. “Through this agreement, Telgua will benefit from the latest technology provided by the ARCOS system, which
now provides connectivity through multiple
Tier 1 carriers with IP Transit services” said
Matt Milstead, President and CEO of New
World Network.
About Telgua
Guatemala
Telecomunicaciones
de
Telgua is the leading service provider of fixed
line, mobile and long distance communications
services in Guatemala. Telgua is a subsidiary of
America Movil, which is listed on the New York
Stock Exchange as AMX.
ager of Enitel. “The unique fibre ring architecture of ARCOS will provide secure and dependable connectivity to Nicaragua service
providers at an international level.” “This agreement with Enitel expands the reach and scope
of our telecommunications network and allows
us to offer seamless fibre-optic capacity to
Nicaragua” said Matt Milstead, President and
CEO of New World Network. “This relationship
allows us to offer additional commercial opportunities through our reliable, fully redundant
fibre-optic cable network. We are grateful for
the support and leadership of Enitel for allowing us to provide these next-generation services to Nicaragua,” added Milstead. About Enitel
Enitel is Nicaragua’s fixed line monopoly. Enitel
is controlled by the Swedtel-EMCE consortium,
which paid US$33mn in December 2001 for a
Page 23
About New World Network
New World Network is a carrier’s carrier providing advanced, high-speed bandwidth capacity to telecommunications companies and
Internet Service Providers. The company’s
Americas Region Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS) is the leading undersea broadband fibre-optic cable network connecting the
U.S., Mexico, Central America, South America
and the Caribbean. The unique hybrid ownership structure of ARCOS is co-owned by 28
carriers throughout the region and led by New
World Network the majority owner with
approximately 88.2% interest.
For more information
Please visit www.nwncable.com
Or
CONTACT: Martha Salas,
Marketing 1+786-274-7163
[email protected]
40% stake in the company. About New World
Network New World Network is a carrier’s carrier that provides advanced, high-speed bandwidth capacity to telecommunications companies and Internet Service Providers. The company’s Americas Region Caribbean Optical-ring
System (ARCOS) is the leading undersea broadband fibre-optic cable network connecting the
U.S., Mexico, Central America, South America
and the Caribbean. The unique hybrid ownership structure of ARCOS is co-owned by 28
carriers throughout the region and led by New
World Network the majority owner with
approximately 86.5% interest.
For further information
Please visit www.nwncable.com
Or
Contact: Martha Salas, Marketing
Tel: 001 786-274-7163 [email protected]
COMPANY NEWS
OCEAN POWER
TECHNOLOGIES INC.
moves up and down on a rigid pole anchored to
the bottom.
Wave-generated electricity tests
The up-and-down movement mechanically
creates a flow of hydraulic fluid to drive an
electrical generator housed in a canister on the
ocean floor, said Don Rochon, spokesman for
the Pacific Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, which is overseeing the
project.
Waters off Kaneohe will be used this fall to
see if those non-stop open-ocean swells that
make Hawaii a surfer’s paradise can be tapped
for cheap, clean electricity.
Ocean Power Technologies Inc., of New Jersey, holds a $9.5 million contract from the
Office of Naval Research to test if the bobbing
of subsurface buoys tethered to the ocean floor
can efficiently generate electricity for Marine
Corps Base Hawaii-Kaneohe.
Project operators are waiting for lower swells
usually occurring in
September to place the subsea electric
cables, after which the PowerBuoy will be
deployed, Rochon said.
The contract calls for a second device to be
deployed and for a two- to five-year test period
to see if the project will be expanded for permanent use, Rochon said.
“First, we have to prove the technology,” he
said.
Picture: Ocean Power Technologies Inc.
“Everybody feels ... that we’re doing something that may be important to the world,” said
George Taylor, president and chief executive
officer of the 15-person company he helped
start in 1994.
Taylor grew up in Australia where he learned
to surf and appreciate the force of the waves
curling around him.
As the swell passes, the 40-foot-long, 15foot-diameter, vertically positioned PowerBuoy
Several prototypes of the system have been
successfully tested off the New Jersey shore in
Tuckerton since 1998.
The only visible part of the device will be a
brightly colored navigation mast sticking up to
warn boaters to avoid coming too close.
The idea is to reduce the Navy’s electricity
costs and dependence on oil at its shore side
bases around the world, but the technological
development would also have applications for
civilian uses.
The pilot project’s first phase calls for one of
the company’s trademarked PowerBuoys to be
given a buoyancy to ride nine to 12 feet below
the surface in 100 feet of water nearly a mile
off the Kaneohe base’s Hilltop housing area.
serve five to eight homes, Rochon said.
PowerBuoy
The motor generates direct current in a submerged cable to an onshore transformer to create an average 20 kilowatts and up to a peak of
50 kilowatts of alternating current plugged into
the base’s Hawaiian Electric Co. grid, enough to
Page 24
Hawaii was chosen for the test because on
average it has the highest recorded wave
power in the world.
The company said that in its technology, bigger is better.
If it can develop a 100-megawatt system, the
company said its PowerBuoy technology can
lower the cost of generating electricity to 3 to 4
cents per kilowatt-hour, slightly cheaper than
electricity generated from fossil fuels and much
cheaper than wind or solar energy systems.
continues on P. 25
COMPANY NEWS
nance and operating expenses as well as amortized capital costs of the equipment, the company said.
Wave-generated electricity tests
continued
A 1-megawatt system, the goal of the Hawaii
project, would generate power at a cost of 7 to
10 cents per kilowatt-hour, including mainte-
OPTIMAR
New Marine Technology Company
launched!
The company, Optimum Marine Technology
Limited that will trade under the name Optimar,
will provide a range of marine services to
clients primarily within the subsea offshore
construction and cable installation and maintenance sectors of the specialist shipping markets. Optimar’s principal areas of activity focus
on dynamically positioned vessels used in supporting a broad range of specialist subsea operations.
Optimar has been formed in association with
Derrick Offshore Limited, the world’s leading
independent international broker specialising in
the offshore energy and subsea cable industries. The new company will meet the growing
needs of both the offshore oil & gas and submarine telecom industries for an independent
A modular system based on an array of the
small and relatively inexpensive buoy like
structures would require low-cost maintenance
for a lifetime of 30 years, according to OPT’s
Web site.
specialist with a broad based knowledge of
both these specialist marine sectors. The company’s senior management have extensive
experience in a wide range of projects including
new building construction and conversion of
both cable ships and offshore subsea construction vessels. In addition other specialist areas
of expertise include offshore diamond mining
and submarine rescue operations. Optimar’s in
house expertise is further enhanced through a
network of independent consultants covering a
range of specialist competencies relevant to
the company’s core activities.
Managing Director of Optimar, Philip Stringer,
was formerly Engineering Director of Global
Marine Systems Limited, the world’s largest
submarine telecom cable installation and maintenance contractor. Mr Stringer also brings significant experience in shipbuilding and repair of
specialist vessels gained as the Project Director
of Europe’s largest ship conversion and repair
company, A&P Group Limited. On the company’s future Philip Stringer stated, “After 33
years experience in the business I decided to
use the knowledge gained in shipbuilding, classification, ship owning and conversion and
repair as the basis for this new venture. As the
Page 25
“We believe that this project will position the
company for expansion into the U.S. and the
international commercial marketplace,” Taylor
said.
To explain the global potential, the company’s
chief financial officer, Charles Dunleavy, said
waves passing through a 10-by-10-mile area of
ocean create enough energy to meet the electricity needs of the entire state of California.
Picture: Optimar
OCEAN POWER
TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Managing Director of Optimar, Philip Stringer
name suggests we aim to provide the marine
industry at large with a service that adds value
to our clients’ business. The chance to combine the skills of Optimar with such a wellestablished and respected company, as Derrick
Offshore is something that I am confident will
be successful. ”
Sean Harvey, Managing Director of Derrick
Offshore added “We have for some time considered developing a marine technology division to complement our commercial activities
within the offshore oil & gas and submarine
continues on P. 26
COMPANY NEWS
OPTIMAR
New Marine Technology Company
launched!
continued
telecom industries. The opportunity to team up
with somebody as experienced as Philip
Stringer is one we are very excited about. Optimar represents a unique capability in meeting
the needs of both the offshore and cable sectors of the specialist support vessel market at a
time when these areas are increasingly overlapping. The specialist marine market within
which Optimar will operate is a dynamic and
exciting sector of the shipping industry with
significant potential and through Optimar we
Page 26
will be able to provide our clients with an even
broader range of services”.
For further information about Optimar please contact:
Optimum Marine Technology Limited
Mount View House
10 The Mount
Guildford, Surrey
GU2 4HN
Tel: + 44 (0) 1483 458333
Fax: + 44 (0) 1483 532598
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.optimaruk.com
COMPANY NEWS
JW FISHERS MFG.
INC.
New Features for Fishers Cable
Tracking System
JW Fishers Mfg. Inc. declared its CT-1 cable
tracking system was specifically designed
to locate deeply buried power and communication cables. It will locate cables buried
both underwater and on land much deeper
than can be found with a metal detector,
spokesman Christopher Combs said. “The
CT-1 is so good at finding cables that underwater cables can often be located and
tracked from a small boat, eliminating the
need to deploy a diver,” he said.
Reports from the field on the effectiveness
of the CT-1 have been very positive, Combs
noted. Nigel Fluit of New Zealand marine
services company Seaworks reported, “This
machine performed superbly in what would
be considered arduous conditions (surf
zones, limited visibility, and strong cross
currents). On one job we located and followed a fibre-optic cable for its full length of
more than 1.5 kilometres and in another our
diver tracked a cable for over 2 kilometres.
The audio was of great assistance as it
enabled the diver to follow the cable in near
zero visibility.”
TYCO TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Portland Sales office opened
The office will service Tyco’s customers who
require capacity and co-location solutions for
Portland, Seattle, Alaska and the Asia Pacific
region.
Tyco Telecommunications has announced the
opening of a sales office in Portland, Oregon.
The office is located within Tyco’s TelExchange
Center (TEC) at 1225 W. Burnside Street.
Heading the new office is Mark Nicklas, a
veteran of the capacity sales market in the
Pacific Northwest, who will oversee Sales and
Business Development activities.
SATYAM HOSTING
Big plans for hosting space
Satyam Hosting, a part of Satyam Infoway,
has commissioned its second Level 3 Internet
Data Centre at Tidel Park, Chennai, with a view
to emerge as a major player in the Indian hosting space market.
“The Tidel Park IDC is uniquely positioned to
serve mainly the Asia Pacific region, with the
massive international bandwidth link by undersea cable landing in Chennai”, a top executive
of the company said.
Sify’s first Level 3 hosting facility was commissioned at the Vashi Infotech park in Navi
Mumbai in September 2000.
Several new options are now being offered
for the CT-1 system. One is an O-ring-sealed
hard case for the probe, its battery charger,
and other accessories. The case is ideal for
carrying the probe from job to job or for
shipping it to other locations when necessary. For those deep submergence projects,
the probe can be purchased with a 500- or
1,000-foot-depth-rated housing. Custom
probes are also available that are designed
to pickup frequencies other than the standard 25, 50, 60, and 1,024 frequencies.
With the impending rationalisation of bandwidth prices, India is poised to emerge as a
hosting destination for international customers,
J Avinash, president, hosting services, Sify,
said adding Satyam already had a leadership in
Indian hosting space with a strong base of 200
customers.
For more information or
for a color brochure on all of Fishers
underwater search products,
contact Combs on +1 (800) 822-4744, +1 (508)
822-7330,
or
e-mail [email protected].
Stating that the company’s intention was to
become the most preferred hosting partner for
He said that the two Level 3 IDCs of Sify also
offered disaster recovery facilities for the
clients.
Page 27
Indian and international organisations, he said
Sify had already entered into strategic alliances
with major firms like Intel Asia, Compaq and
Sun Microsytems in this regard.
Through these alliances the company proposed to help Indian customers to host services
in the US while the partners would assist the
US clients access the Indian markets.
Sify expected that with Bharti’s i2i Singapore-Chennai submarine cable landing in Chennai, the bandwidth cost was likely to come
down at least by one third so that the company
could offer competitive rates for its hosting
services, Avinash said.
The company planned to source a major
chunk of its bandwidth requirement for its IDCs
from Bharti, he added.
The company sources indicated that to begin
with Sify would be buying at least 115 mbps
and later go in for more depending on the business prospects.
The Chennai IDC of Sify has a capacity of
around 5,000 servers. It had already been
linked with Bharti’s submarine cable.
COMPANY NEWS
PTCL
SEA-ME-WE 4 desperately needed
The Pakistan Telecommunications Company
Limited (PTCL) would invest $40-$45 million
with 12 other international telecom giants for
constructing a new submarine cable linking
South East Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Akhter Ahmed Bajwa, Chairman PTCL in an
informal chat on the sidelines of ITCN Asia
Conference 2003 said that the company was
committed to be linked with the second undersea cable as the first one had now become saturated.
“We have already signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for a second undersea
cable. But for that we have to invest $40 to
$45 million. It would take three years,” he said.
an alternate to divert data traffic in case of fibre
link failure,” he defined.
When referred to satellite bandwidth capacity, which is only 34 megabytes against 155 of
fibre link, he said: “It’s a fact, I know. But I
hope we would pass these three years safely.”
The country’s telecommunications had gone
through the worst ever crisis twice this year
when it got disconnected from the outside
world for over 12 hours due to fibre link damage. The first such incident occurred on April 4
and the last one on July 7.
He said that the SMW4 fibre link would
enhance the telecom services in the country,
meeting all international standards.
The PTCL in September last signed a MoU
with other 12 international telecom carriers to
construct a second undersea fibre cable link
called the South East Asia Middle East-Western Europe (SMW4).
The cable network would connect 12 countries i.e. Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia,
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, United
Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy and
France.
The other partners in the cable project are PT
Indosat, Singapore Telecom, Telekom Malaysia
Berhad, Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone
Board, Bharti Telesonic, Sri Lanka Telecom,
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited, Emirates Telecom, Saudi Telecom, Telecom Egypt, Telecom
Italia SPA and France Telecom.
Bajwa said; that the country already has a
satellite link as an alternate against the only
fibre link for the next three years.
“You know we have satellite link available as
Page 28
Currently, the traffic data from South East
Asia and the Middle East to Europe is routed via
smaller capacity cables, mainly South East
Middle East Western Europe 3 (SEMEWE-3)
and the Fibre Link Around Globe (FLAG).
Under plans is the SMW4 project, which
would be built using DWDM, with a proposed
design capacity of 1.28 Terabits per second
(Tbps).
The Ministry of Science and Technology
(MoST) had given approval for second highspeed undersea fibre link with SMW4 in December 2001, in the third meeting of the National
Commission on Science and Technology.
COMPANY NEWS
DATASTREAM
Faster Internet and lower prices
expected
Malta’s Internet speeds are expected to
improve significantly before the end of this year
as DataStream is finalising plans to double the
current provision for international connectivity
capacity to 310 megabits per second from the
prevalent 155 mbps.
Furthermore, Internet prices are expected to
go down even before the introduction of Vodafone Malta’s international gateway, which is
expected to start operating next year.
In August, the mobile phone operator
announced that it had commissioned Alcatel to
install Malta’s second international gateway. The
majority of Internet service providers welcomed
this decision especially because competition
lowers prices and improves service delivery.
DataStream chief executive, Godfrey Vella,
said that DataStream’s plans include the introduction of new services and the provision of
much faster Internet access as from later this
year, in line with customer requirements and
desires.
“At this stage, I can tell you that we are
already planning the doubling of the international connectivity to 310Mbps, which shall
enable us to introduce new services later on
during the year. The connectivity rate of
310Mbps refers to actual traffic passing
through and not the fibre capacity, which is
much higher,” said Mr Vella.
“DataStream has over the years been able to
offer highly favourable deals to resellers and
customers, and this is reflected in the high
adoption rates for its services. For example, the
requirements for IP transit services have
increased from a few Megabits around four
years ago to the current 155Mbps. Obviously
additional competition can drive higher innovation, which we are ready to exploit,” added Mr
Vella.
When asked whether Internet prices could
potentially decrease once the second international gateway starts operating, Mr Vella said
that the effective price of what ISPs pay for IP
transit bandwidth is actually a lot less than some
figures that have been quoted in the media.
“There are factors like volume discounts and
bandwidth that has been given free to ISPs for
the promotion of broadband usage which considerably reduced the effective price per
megabit that ISPs pay. Prices for IP will keep
going down but whether the second cable will
bring them down further remains to be seen. I
am somewhat concerned regarding the lower
economies of scale that will be achieved, but
obviously this can be counteracted by heightened competition. What is critical for both Maltacom and Vodafone is that the market grows
not only in terms of capacity but also in terms
of overall revenue,” explained Mr Vella.
“Specifically for us, with the current satellite
offerings and the Vodafone fibre in place, we
will be in a stronger position to negotiate with
our suppliers to provide us with lower prices
and enhanced quality to pass-on to our customers,” added Mr Vella.
When asked about DataStream’s short- to
medium-term strategic plans to prepare for the
forthcoming competition posed by Vodafone’s
international gateway, Mr Vella said that irrespective of the deployment of Vodafone’s optic
fibre cable, DataStream is are already facing
competition in this area through satellite operators that are offering bandwidth feeds locally.
“The Maltacom Group does not have any
major problem with competition. Go Mobile,
Terranet, DataStream and other member companies have all been operating successfully in a
competitive environment for the past few
years. I think one needs to understand that a
telecommunications company, in any market
segment, is subject to competition or regulation. And sometimes both. In all honestly I
believe we can operate better in a competitive
environment rather than a heavily regulated
one,” explained Mr Vella.
Page 29
“Besides, Vodafone’s intentions have been
known for some time, and thus DataStream has
been working within a competitive context
with regards to strategy planning and execution
ever since,” added Mr Vella.
Asked whether he considers it feasible to
have a second international gateway Mr Vella
said that certain facts have to be taken into
consideration.
“Maltacom’s fibre optic cable to Sicily can
potentially handle Terabits of data and there are
really no known scenarios where the capacity
of the existing cable will not suffice for Malta’s
requirements for at least the next 10 to 15
years. So with the second cable we have a situation where economies of scale will be less
readily achievable by either operator,” said Mr
Vella.
“There is also the redundancy argument that
with the one Maltacom cable all our eggs are in
one basket. This is not quite true as Maltacom
have a microwave backup link to Sicily, which
can take the bulk of the current existing bandwidth usage should there be a submarine cable
failure. I would argue that ideally, Malta’s alternative submarine fibre link to the rest of the
world should have taken a different route than
the one taken by Maltacom’s fibre, to North
Africa or at least to a different landing point in
Sicily. However, this is a liberalised market and
Vodafone obviously took the decision which
they perceived was commercially most beneficial to them,” added Mr Vella.
Commenting on the cost and operational
advantages that a second gateway can provide,
Mr Vella said that DataStream offers ISPs more
than just IP transit services.
“Although ISPs are in a better position to reply
to this question, DataStream believes that ISPs
will now be able to compare the services
offered by the operators of both gateways, and
this will be beneficial for DataStream too. Overall, DataStream has managed to build a very
continues on P. 30
COMPANY NEWS
ASIA NETCOM (I)
Asia Netcom Delivers NEC’s Ipv6
Multicast Video Streaming Solutions
On the 13th of August 2003, Asia Netcom
joined NEC in announcing the launch of a powerful regional application-driven solution for
business and government agencies in Japan.
The NEC solution is delivered over Asia Netcom’s pan-Asian fibre infrastructure and features end-to-end IPv6 support, including network deployment, content delivery and service
provisioning. The new product will bring to
market a cost-efficient multicast solutions
package that facilitates next generation applications such as e-learning and security monitoring systems for both Japanese corporations
and government agencies.
‘’We are pleased to be a strategic partner in
providing network support to NEC in the
BHARTI INFOTEL
Fast Road to Growth
Bharti Infotel, the group’s merged data and
broadband division, has achieved a very fast
turnover growing from a revenue base of Rs
40 crore to Rs 120 crore in the last two
years. The company is, in fact, now profitable.
”The extremely fast turnaround was
achieved as a result of focusing on our core
competence which is the high-end integrated private networks. Our business model is
to offer integrated network architecture that
combines satellite, Internet and fibre for single solutions at the customers end.
Competitors like Tata Indicomm are also
looking at a similar model now,’’ says Ashok
Juneja, CEO of Bharti Broadband Networks.
The Bharti broadband group has now captured a 50% share of the data market in the
Internet bandwidth space. “The infrastructure provided by the i2i submarine cable,
the world’s largest undersea cable project
which is a Bharti-SingTel JV, has made
bandwidth much more affordable. We are
now expecting to grow at 70% this year,’’
says Juneja.
deployment of key enhancements to their IPv6based product portfolio, ‘’ said Bill Barney, Asia
Netcom’s president and chief operating officer.
‘’This partnership enables NEC to fully leverage
Asia Netcom’s MPLS-based network to deliver
voice, data and multi-media services to customers in Japan with unsurpassed quality,
scalability, security and cost savings.’’ NEC and
Asia Netcom have agreed to jointly provide
IPv6 multicast broadcast applications in Japan,
based on NEC’s multicast solutions and router
provisioning, with Asia Netcom providing the
network and IPv6 addressing. Combining the
two company’s systems integration capabilities, this total solution will not only be secure
and cost-effective but provides robust support
for high quality broadband content and IP VPN
applications.
According to NEC, IPv6 multicast video applications currently being adopted by local businesses and government agencies in Japan
include:
• Video broadcast to multiple locations for corporate seminars, presentations, etc;
• New service and product training to multiple
office locations and franchisees;
• Security monitoring of factories and branch
offices in multiple sites across Japan; and
• Local information distribution and public
announcements from government sources to
locally set up kiosks across Japan.
Through utilization of IPv6, customers with
issues related to duplication of IPv4 private
addresses, which may occur in the expansion
of a VPN network, or complications with
mobile IP or VoIP would be provided with
immediate solutions with minimal interruption
to their existing LAN environment. NEC and
Asia Netcom expect total sales of IPv6 solutions to reach JPY5 billion in three years in
Asia, including Japan.
About Asia Netcom
Page 30
DATASTREAM
Faster Internet and lower prices
continued
expected
good relationship with ISPs. Obviously the market liberalisation has transformed some of
these partner ISPs into competitive ISPs with
the whole Maltacom Group, and we had to find
ways to co-exist in this new environment. But
overall DataStream has managed to find a balance and we believe that given the right commercial terms, they will continue to be our customers,” said Mr Vella.
Vodafone Malta was granted an international
gateway license in January of this year, upon
liberalisation of telecommunications in Malta.
The Vodafone Malta-Sicily cable is part of the
international gateway project through which
Vodafone Malta will be able to provide international telecommunication services between
Malta and other countries. The initial capacity
of the system will be 2.5 Gbits/sec and has the
potential to increase the capacity to over 1
Tbit/sec.
Asia Netcom is a leading provider of city-tocity connectivity, data communications and IPbased solutions and services to enterprise, ISP
and carrier customers in the Asia Pacific region.
Formed in 2003 by a consortium including
China Netcom, Newbridge Capital and Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund, Asia Netcom is
headquartered in Hong Kong with local offices
in all major Asian markets, the US and Europe.
Asia Netcom owns and operates its own
19,500-km regional fiber optic submarine
cable system and offers a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise and carrier services that connect Asia to the rest of the world, while providing global corporations direct access to key
markets in Asia and China. For more information on Asia Netcom, please visit
www.asianetcom.com.
About NEC Corporation
continues on P. 31
COMPANY NEWS
ASIA NETCOM (I)
Asia Netcom Delivers NEC’s Ipv6
Multicast Video Streaming Solutions
continued
NEC Corporation is one of the world’s leading
providers of Internet, broadband network and
enterprise business solutions dedicated to
meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and
global base of customers. Ranked as one of the
world’s top patent-producing companies, NEC
delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of
computer, networking and electron devices, by
integrating its technical strengths in IT and
Networks, and by providing advanced semiconductor solutions through NEC Electronics Corporation. The NEC Group employs more than
140,000 people worldwide and had net sales of
approximately $40 billion in the fiscal year
ended March 2003. For additional information,
please visit the NEC home page at:
www.nec.com.
ASIA NETCOM (II)
Indonesia’s Leading VoIP Operator
Selects Asia Netcom
On the 12th of August 2003, Asia Netcom,
the premier pan-Asian network services
provider, announced its selection by PT Gaharu
Sejahtera to provide key upgrades to its network and core international backbone.
Services provided to PT Gaharu Sejahtera will
include Asia Netcom’s industry-leading Voiceover-Internet Protocol (VoIP), based on the lat-
est MPLS and optical switching technologies.
“We are pleased to work with Asia Netcom in
the complete optimization and upgrade of our
network performance capabilities,” said Titus
Soemadi, CEO, PT Gaharu Sejahtera.” “Asia
Netcom’s industry-leading network, as well as
its leadership in the integration of voice, data
and video applications, clearly makes them our
best choice going forward.” “In addition, Asia
Netcom’s flexibility, service quality and thorough sales consultation reinforces our confidence in selecting them from among a number
key regional and global carriers”, added Hendrick Wiratno, Director, PT Gaharu Sejahtera.
“We are delighted to be chosen by Indonesia’s
leading VoIP operator as provider of IP-based
communications solutions and look forward to
completing the migration process so PT Gaharu
Sejahtera can fully utilize Asia Netcom’s extensive subsea and IP network capabilities,” said
Karomul Wachid, Asia Netcom’s general manager for Indonesia.
PT Gaharu Sejahtera’s migration to Asia Netcom includes connection of their network
nodes in Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong
on to submarine cables and dedicated lines
between Singapore to Hong Kong and Hong
Kong to Indonesia, doubling its current IP Transit capacity while improving reliability and
latency of their network.
Asia Netcom’s VoIP service utilizes the company’s extensive sub-sea and IP networks
leveraging its capability as the region’s sole
carrier to offer five classes of service over IP
VPN. The company uses traffic policing and
shaping to provide toll quality voice solutions
with flexible PSTN connectivity. Asia Netcom’s
voice platform will be extended in the near
future to enterprises looking for integrated
voice and data solutions with the flexibility to
evolve into next generation multi-media applications.
About PT Gaharu Sejahtera
PT Gaharu Sejahtera is an Indonesia’s leading
VoIP operators whose prepaid card’s brand
name “Hallophone” is widely recognized in the
market. The company is committed to provide
first quality VoIP service to the country by relying only on the finest world-class voice transport and termination capabilities and its PoPs
overseas. Gaharu is steadily expanding its PoPs
domestically and has now covered eight major
cities in Indonesia namely: Jakarta, Surabaya,
Medan, Bandung, Denpasar, Makassar, Malang
Bogor and Palembang. The company offers
both pre-paid and post-paid VoIP service to
customers in above mentioned cities and also
roaming capabilities in Singapore and USA.
For more information:
Website: www.gaharu.co.id
Or
Contact
Lorain Wong
+852 2121 2973
+852 9500 2333 mobile
[email protected]
or
Karomul Wachid
+62 21 5157606
[email protected]
Is your Press release missing?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 31
COMPANY NEWS
ASIA NETCOM (III)
Asia Netcom Provides High Speed
Connectivity to Asia’s Fastest
Growing Internet Gaming Portal
On the 02nd of September 2003, Asia Netcom, the premier pan-Asian network services
provider, and Hangame Japan announced a joint
initiative to upgrade Hangame’s bandwidth and
connection capabilities to meet the explosive
demand for Internet gaming in Asia Pacific.
Asia Netcom will provide seamless connectivity to Hangame, through its premium IP Transit service, which will enable users to gain
faster online access to gaming applications.
With the transition to Asia Netcom, Hangame
will receive direct connectivity into all major
networks in Asia and beyond in a single hop.
Additionally, Hangame will have burstable
billing, which means flexibility in turning bandwidth up during peak hours and down when
usage is low.
“Hangame is pleased to be working with Asia
Netcom on this service upgrade for our main
service line, “ said Yutaka Sano, network systems manager for Hangame Japan. “Asia Net-
ASIA NETCOM (IV)
Asia Netcom Raises the Performance Bar for IP VPN and IPL into
China
Asia Netcom, the premier pan-Asian network
services provider, has dramatically enhanced
its capability to provide one-stop shop connectivity and IP-based telecommunications solutions into the People’s Republic of China with
wide-ranging agreements with China Netcom,
an incumbent fixed line operator.
The two companies recently completed the
interconnection of Asia Netcom’s regional fibre
network with the national fibre backbone of
China Netcom, as well as an agreement with
China Netcom to bring Asia Netcom’s portfolio
of IP-based products and services to the Chinese market. Under the terms of the agree-
com’s quality of service, exception customer
care and competitive pricing structure gave
them the winning edge over other major
providers in the region.”
bandwidth options from T1/E1 to 45 Mbps,
Fast Ethernet and up to Gigabit Ethernet.
“We are delighted to support Hangame in the
upgrade of its network connectivity in the Internet gaming arena,” said Richard Carden, chief
operating officer of Asia Netcom Japan. With
our IP Transit offering backed by the region’s
foremost fibre optic submarine cable system,
Asia Netcom can ensure plenty of bandwidth to
scale up to meet the growing demands at
Hangame,”
Asia Netcom’s IP Transit Service is provided
across the company’s pan-Asian fibre optic
submarine cable system – EAC – to offer
unparalleled performance, quality and geographical reach. Additionally, because Asia
Netcom owns and operates the network, it can
provide rapid provisioning of new capacity
upon request. Asia Netcom offers variable
Hangame Japan is a leading online game
service provider established in September
2000. The company is headquartered in Korea
and is currently the world’s No. 1 game site
providing a variety of online games, including
poker, tetris, billiards and bingo. At the turn of
the millennium, Hangame pioneered a new
genre of Internet games and boasted 17 million
members and 210,000 simultaneous connections as of March 2003. With the power a rapidly growing game community, it entered the
online game distribution business in 2002 and
has expanded its services into various game
genres such as online Role Playing Game, Real
Time Simulation Game as well as casual
games. Now firmly established as the most
prominent game portal service provider representing Korea, Hangame is positioned to further establish its position through the entire
gaming arena with Hangame Japan and plans
to expand into other countries, including China.
For more information, please visit us at
www.hangame.co.jp.
ment, Asia Netcom’s IP VPN will be connected
to the IP VPN infrastructure of China Netcom to
form a seamless platform with coverage across
the whole of China.
wide IP VPN infrastructure of China Netcom,
offering our customers seamless connections
to their offices and manufacturing sites inside
China.”
“Completion of interconnection with Asia
Netcom is key to China Netcom,” says Edward
Tian, CEO of China Netcom HK and Chairman/CEO of Asia Netcom. “Through connecting Asia Netcom’s unparalleled pan-Asian Network with China Netcom’s vast mainland capabilities, we have created the first-ever truly
comprehensive pan-Asian IP-based broadband
network. “
Asia Netcom’s IP VPN offering is delivered
on the region’s most extensive MPLS (multiprotocol label switching) infrastructure built
directly on top of Asia Netcom’s own regional
submarine fibre optic cable system, EAC. EAC
is a 19,500+km cable system with nine landing
sites in six Asian markets and terrestrial backhaul links to the centre of major Asian cities.
Asia Netcom’s IP VPN is the region’s first product to bring five CoS (class-of-service) capabilities to the Asian market.
As part of this joint initiative, Hangame will
also use Asia Netcom’s data centre partner,
Global Access Limited, for collocation services
in Japan.
“Our customers will now get unprecedented
access and performance when extending their
corporate networks into China,” says Bill Barney, president and chief operating officer of
Asia Netcom. “The agreement allows us to
extend the reach of our IP VPN with the nation-
Page 32
About Hangame Japan
The IP VPN interconnection agreement is
complemented with a new Internet peering
continues on P. 33
COMPANY NEWS
ASIA NETCOM (IV)
Asia Netcom Raises the Performance Bar for IP VPN and IPL into
continued
China
agreement between Asia Netcom and China
Netcom. The peering agreement enables onehop access to Chinese online content by delivering Internet traffic from Asia Netcom’s global
IP backbone directly into China Netcom’s
national Internet infrastructure. As a result,
Asia Netcom boosts Internet service quality
into China to new levels with industry leading
latency and round-trip-delay performance.
At the same time, Asia Netcom’s close working relationship with China Netcom, the majority shareholder of Asia Netcom, has resulted in
the direct Layer 1 interconnection of Asia Net-
com’s SDH network to China Netcom’s national fibre backbone. Asia Netcom can now offer
leased circuits that extend to the nationwide
coverage of China Netcom’s fibre backbone as
well as local loops in 80 major cities across
China.
com to improve service delivery time to customers. Asia Netcom now offers one of the
shortest provisioning times for connections in
China.
“This is a major breakthrough for corporations
looking for IPL connectivity into China,” says
Mark Simpson, Asia Netcom’s SVP of Infrastructure, Product and Business Development.
“The interconnection of the Layer 1 networks
of Asia Netcom and China Netcom means that
we can offer clear channel connection links all
the way to their sites into China.”
China Netcom is a facilities-based incumbent
fixed line operator in China. The Company has
local access network in 10 northern provinces
with 68 million access lines and local loops in
35 key southern cities. China Netcom’s network is connected to over 1,000 commercial
buildings covering 20,000 enterprises. China
Netcom generated US$8.1billion in revenue in
2002. China Netcom provides a full spectrum
of services and solutions to meet the broadband
telecommunications needs of business and residential customers.
In addition to the Layer 1 interconnection,
Asia Netcom’s engineers have been working
closely with their counterparts at China Net-
Page 33
About China Netcom
COMPANY NEWS
ASIA NETCOM (V)
Time dotCom secures its connections
Network services provider Asia Netcom has a
“strategic working relationship” with Time dotCom Bhd to provide fully secured high capacity
connections for endusers in Malaysia.
In a statement, Asia Netcom said it was chosen as one of the major provider for Time dotCom’s International Private Line (IPL) based on
its ability to deliver on all key requirements
mandated by the latter, including reliable aftersales service through its 24x7 service centre,
one-stop solution for all network service issues
and real-time delivery on all applications.
Asia Netcom’s Private Line Service is based
on a city-to-city network that provides both
GLOBAL CROSSING (I)
Expansion of service in Brazil
On the 18th of August 2003, Global Crossing
announced an expansion of its enterprise service in Brazil with the launch of its Direct Dial
Services (DDS). The announcement bolsters
Global Crossing’s voice services portfolio in
Latin America, building upon the introduction
of Direct Dial services to Argentina and Chile
earlier this year in conjunction with other data
and Internet service offers.
Direct Dial Services deliver high-quality international long distance voice services to more
than 240 destinations worldwide and are
backed by industry-leading voice service level
agreements (SLAs) and a unique customer satisfaction guarantee.
“Expansion of DDS to Brazil demonstrates our
commitment to offer the most advanced and
secure telecommunications solutions in Latin
America and worldwide,” said Jose Antonio
Rios, Global Crossing’s international president
and CAO. “Using our global IP network, Global
Crossing voice services bring to market
door-to-door connectivity as well as flexible
POP (Point-of-Presence) interconnections in
major Asian markets and other key business
destinations worldwide, the company claimed.
Built on a fully redundant architecture and
operated on a seamless pan-Asian network
that Asian Netcom owns, its Private Line product ensures the highest availability and performance levels, along with unmatched service.
Formed in 2003 by a consortium led by China
Netcom, which includes Newbridge Capital
and Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund, Asia
Netcom is headquartered in Hong Kong. It owns
and operates its own 19,500km regional fibre
optic submarine cable system and offers a
comprehensive portfolio of enterprise and carrier services.
unmatched clarity and network reliability,
backed by world class customer support.”
Direct Dial Services’ unique “any distance”
pricing offers customers the same low price per
minute to call a given country from any one of
the countries in which Global Crossing provides
international calling. For example, a call to the
United States from Brazil or Chile would carry
the same per-minute rate. “Any distance” pricing permits global enterprises connected to the
Global Crossing network to manage their telecom costs across multiple countries with a stable and competitive pricing structure, on telecom management expenditures.
The voice SLAs, which apply to Global Crossing’s dedicated retail voice services, support
three key areas: end-to-end network availability of 99.9 percent, guaranteed time of installation, and mean time to restore (MTTR). The satisfaction guarantee allows customers to exit
contracts if service falters. Global Crossing
received its Multimedia Communications Service license from Anatel in December 2002,
which permits Global Crossing to market voice
services in Brazil in conjunction with other data
Page 34
C2C
CEO Resigns
C2C Pte Ltd has announced the resignation
of its CEO, Mr. Tsunekazu Matsudaira, who
has decided to leave to pursue other personal interests and to spend more time with his
family. Mr. Matsudaira will continue to guide
the C2C team in his capacity as an advisor.
Mr. Matsudaira took over the helm of C2C in
January 2002, bringing with him more than
32 years of experience in global telecommunications. During his stewardship, he oversaw C2C’s operations in the Asia Pacific
region, steering the company through a
tumultuous operating environment.
Commenting on Mr. Matsudaira’s departure,
Mr. Lim Shyong, Chairman of C2C, said: “We
are indeed sad to bid farewell to a veteran
who has committed tremendous effort and
much time to build up C2C’s presence in the
wholesale bandwidth community. Under his
guidance, C2C has been able to consolidate
its market position in terms of its reliability,
quality and technical superiority. We thank
Mr. Matsudaira for his commendable contributions and invaluable insight and wish him
all the best in his future endeavours.”
Until a new CEO is appointed, Mr. Hoh Wing
Chee, COO of C2C, will serve as Acting CEO in
addition to his present responsibilities. Mr.
Hoh has more than 20 years of submarine
cable operations experience under his belt.
and Internet services. Global Crossing voice
services are supported by a global customer
care team offering multilingual, 24 x 7 support
for ordering, provisioning, billing, and additionally, a local single-point-of-contact on account
management. With uCommandâ, Global Crossing’s secure, private Web-based network management tool, customers can monitor their
voice services, create utilization reports,
reroute traffic, order new services, and create
and track trouble tickets and bill payment.
continues on P. 35
COMPANY NEWS
GLOBAL CROSSING (I)
Expansion of service in Brazil
continued
Voice traffic is routed over Global Crossing’s
worldwide fiber optic network using either
packet-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
or conventional Time Division Multiplexing
(TDM) technology, based on most efficient route
available. Both platforms are fully interoperable.
With more than 60 voice switches worldwide, Global Crossing’s network is currently
GLOBAL CROSSING (II)
Global Crossing Adds to Voice
Services
On the 18th of August 2003, Global Crossing,
a leader in providing innovative voice and data
solutions for carriers and enterprises worldwide, announced a groundbreaking voice services portfolio that delivers unsurpassed network performance and superior customer support. The voice services offering, the first of its
kind within the telecommunications industry
carrying more than five billion VOIP and TDM
minutes monthly, providing high quality, costeffective, and reliable solutions. The VoIP platform alone carries over one billion minutes per
month. VoIP traffic transits Global Crossing’s
secure, private core network, rather than the
public Internet, and therefore is unaffected by
public Internet delays and congestion.
tinental Europe, DDS is available in Spain, the
United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France,
Switzerland, Belgium and Ireland. In the
Nordics, DDS is available in Norway, Sweden,
Denmark and the Netherlands; and in North
America, in the United States and Canada.
For more information about Global Crossing
Please visit www.globalcrossing.com
All of Global Crossing’s voice and data services are delivered via its worldwide IP network,
which provides connectivity to 200 cities in
more than 27 countries. In Latin America, DDS
is also available in Chile and Argentina. In con-
consists of voice services SLAs, loyalty incentives and an unmatched satisfaction guarantee.
“Over the past 18 months, Global Crossing
has overhauled its systems, operations and
procedures to create a vastly superior operating
infrastructure,” said Global Crossing CEO John
Legere. “To reflect our confidence in the
world’s first global MPLS-based IP network,
our leading voice and data solutions are now
backed by outstanding customer service that
goes beyond purely price-based offerings.”
Page 35
The voice SLAs, which apply to Global Crossing’s dedicated retail voice services globally,
guarantee service availability carried along
Global Crossing’s network. In addition, they
include local access circuits - also an industry
first. These voice SLAs support three key areas:
end-to-end network availability of 99.9 percent, guaranteed time of installation, and mean
time to restore (MTTR).
COMPANY NEWS
IBASIS INC.
CAT Telecom connects with iBasis
for International VoIP Service
On the 02nd of September 2003, iBasis, Inc.,
the leader in Internet-based voice communications, announced that CAT Telecom Public
Company Limited (CAT), has directly interconnected with The iBasis Network(TM) for international voice services. By interconnecting
with The iBasis Network, CAT is able to benefit from the economics of global Internet
telephony and the efficiency of iBasis’ many
carrier agreements to terminate international
voice traffic.
CAT joins the more than 170 carriers worldwide who have formed partnerships with iBasis to send and receive international long distance calls over the company’s Cisco Powered
Network, which has carried more than six billion minutes of international calls. By providing
Tier One quality international service to these
carriers, iBasis has become one of the world’s
10 largest carriers of international traffic (1)
and was recently ranked by global service
providers as the world’s best international
wholesale carrier (2).
“In preparation for its imminent privatization,
CAT is taking advantage of our cost-efficient
high quality international network,” said Ofer
Gneezy, president and CEO of iBasis. “By leveraging our many carrier relationships around the
world, CAT is able to concentrate on enhancing
its competitive position as a leading retail carrier in Thailand, confident that it is delivering
the high quality international service.”
“Our interconnection with iBasis is enabling
CAT to provide the quality and breadth of our
international service as we move toward a
competitive telecommunications market in
Thailand,” said Kittin Udomkiat, Senior Executive Vice President of Telecommunications System, CAT. “As a leader in international VoIP, iBasis has proven its commitment to the same
qualities that drive CAT - innovation, quality,
and customer service.”
According to Telegeophraphy 2003, Asia
Pacific is the fastest-growing international
telecommunications market in the world, experiencing more than 14% growth and representing more than 17% of total worldwide international PSTN minutes from 2000 to 2001. The
region accounts for more than 25% of international VoIP traffic, which is growing at more
than 80% per year. With its agreement with
CAT, iBasis now has the opportunity to carry
some of the more than 400 million minutes of
voice traffic that originate in Thailand annually.
About CAT
Before its corporatization on 14th August
2003, the Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT), a state-owned enterprise, was
responsible for the provision of both national
postal and telecommunications services. Upon
the corporatization, the postal and telecommunication sectors of CAT have been transformed
into the separate companies under the name of
Thailand Post Company Limited (THP) and CAT
Telecom Public Company Limited (CAT) respectively. According to the government’s plan, CAT
will be listed in Stock Exchange of Thailand
(SET) in the first quarter of next year. As a communication hub linking Thailand with the
whole world, CAT is committed to relentlessly
develop its national telecom infrastructure and
provide the world-class quality services, by
constructing both optical fibre submarine
cables and satellite networks as well as investing in the intelligent network of ATM switching
system. Not only to effectively provide a variety
of multimedia telecommunication services, but
also CAT wants to ensure the ultimate satisfaction of customers. More information about
company and services of CAT can be reached at
www.cat.or.th.
About iBasis
Founded in 1996, iBasis is a leading provider
of wholesale international telecommunications
services. The company was named by service
providers for two consecutive years as the best
international wholesale carrier in AtlanticACM’s annual International Wholesale Carrier
Report Card. iBasis is a preferred provider for
many of the largest carriers in the world, including AT&T, Cable & Wireless, China Mobile,
China Unicom, Sprint, Telefonica, Telenor, Telstra, and MCI. iBasis has carried more than six
billion minutes of international voice traffic over
its global Cisco Powered Network(TM), and is
one of the ten largest carriers of international
voice traffic in the world. Based on its revenue
growth from 1997 through 2001, iBasis was
ranked the #8 fastest-growing technology company in North America and the #1 fastestgrowing technology company in New England in
the Technology Fast 500 national program
sponsored by Deloitte & Touche.
LINKS PAGE:
Is your company already listed?
Visit: www.subcablenews.com/links
Page 36
COMPANY NEWS
KDDI
KDDI to Open New Sales Offices
in China
On the 19th of August 2003, KDDI
announced that it will set up two new sales
offices in China.
KDDI’s local subsidiary in China, KDDI Shanghai will establish a sales office in Wuxi City
Jiangsu Province, and KDDI China will establish another sales office in Dalian City, Liaoning
Province. These new offices, combined with
the existing offices of the KDDI group, will
enable KDDI to cover 80% of those areas in
China that have Japanese companies based in
them. Therefore KDDI will be able to respond
quickly to the communications needs of client
companies.
Going forward, KDDI will aggressively pursue
business development in a Chinese market that
is becoming known as the factory of the world,
and where many Japanese companies are now
expanding their business operations.
Opening of the Wuxi sales office of KDDI
Shanghai
KDDI Shanghai, a Chinese subsidiary and a
joint venture of KDDI and China Telecom
Shanghai, will open a new sales office in Wuxi
City, Jiangsu Province at the end of August.
Wuxi and Suzhou are at the centre of the
Yangtze Delta Economic Zone, and is the area
where many Japanese companies have chosen
to establish their businesses in China, starting
with manufacturers selling their products in
China. Notably, in 2002, Wuxi was the most
popular choice of Japanese companies establishing operations in China.
KDDI is the first Japanese telecommunications service provider to launch a sales office in
this region, giving them an operating base in a
region that is expected to see many more
Japanese companies establish a base. KDDI in
Wuxi will provide total solutions to clients, and
will strengthen sales activities for telecommunications network consulting and the building
of network systems, engineering and maintenance.
Opening of the Dalian sales office of KDDI China
KDDI China, a joint venture of KDDI and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, will establish a sales
office in Dalian City, Liaoning Province in early
September 2003 at the latest.
Until now, KDDI has operated a representative office in Dalian.In Dalian, the representative office has obtained a sales license and will
be expanding its scope of operations, and will
begin activities as the Dalian sales office of
KDDI China.
The Japanese companies are advancing into
Liaoning Province, notably Dalian, in a faster
pace. In addition to manufacturers, they are primarily players in the software industries and
call center operators taking advantage of the
large availability of the Japanese speaking
resources.
By establishing a sales office in Dalian, KDDI
will engage in sales activities related to the
Page 37
provision of telecommunications networks and
the building of telecommunications systems.
Therefore, KDDI will be able to provide a fuller
service and customer support to Japanese
companies operating in the three Chinese
northeastern provinces, namely Liaoning, Jilin
and Heilongjiang.
About KDDI Corporation
KDDI Corporation was established in 1984
and is currently the second largest telecommunications company in Japan, providing a comprehensive range of voice, data, IP and mobile
services to both business customers and consumers. After merging with KDD and IDO in
October, 2000, KDDI serves over 15 million
long-distance subscribers, 1.4 million internet
subscribers, 13 million mobile subscribers, and
5 million PHS subscribers. KDDI has 34,000
km of highly reliable domestic network infrastructure, in addition to optical submarine
cable systems such as TPC-5, Japan-US CN
and China-US CN. KDDI also works to develop
advanced technology in the areas of radio &
mobile, lightwave, multimedia, and Internet
communications. The KDDI Group consists of
approx 100 companies covering a wide variety
of telecommunications-related businesses such
as engineering, facility hosting, submarine
cable construction, and R&D.
For further information,
please visit the KDDI Corporation home page at:
www.kddi.com/english/index.html
or contact:
KDDI Corporation
Neil Rosenblatt
[email protected]
+81-3-5623-1493
COMPANY NEWS
KYUSHU
UNIVERSITY
University transmits real-time Net
images of cancer surgery
On 23rd of August 2003, Kyushu University
transmitted real-time Internet endoscopic
images of an operation on a gastric cancer
S. B. SUBMARINE
SYSTEMS CO. LTD. (I)
Both the endoscopic images and the voices of
the doctors were carried via the submarine
During July and August SBSS completed the
recovery, repair and burial improvement of 55
km Chinese domestic cable system – ‘Bei Hai Lin Gao’ in South China. The work included
clearance of 9 faults and the insertion of six
new joints. After completion the cable was
cable, which links the city of Fukuoka, home to
the university, and the South Korean port city of
Pusan, and from there via the web to the NCC,
the university said.
Olympus Optical, Kyushu University, Fujitsu
Nishi-Nihon Communication Systems, Kyushu
Electric Power, and the Korean National Cancer
Centre participated in the project.
reburied to 3 meters in order to prevent reoccurrence of the multiple faults. The original
installation was not done by SBSS.
SBSS used her cable barge Fu Xing with
‘Dragon’ Sledge onboard in this complex repair.
Picture: www.sbsubmarinesystems.com
SBSS Completed 55km Domestic
Cable Repair and Deep Relay in
China
patient to the National Cancer Centre (NCC) of
South Korea via an 600 km undersea optical
fibre cable with 70Mbps using the DVTS (Digital Video Transfer System), enabling a question-and-answer session between Japanese
and Korean doctors.
Picture: SBSS
Cable Barge “Fu Xing”
‘Dragon’ Sledge
Page 38
COMPANY NEWS
S. B. SUBMARINE
SYSTEMS CO. LTD. (II)
C/S “Fu Hai”
Picture: www.sbsubmarinesystems.com
SBSS newly purchased cableship Fu Hai will
enter into Yokohama Zone submarine cable
maintenance agreement from October 2003 as
one of the Zone operating vessels, replacing the
original operating vessel, SBSS cableship Fu
Lai. Fu Hai is a modern cableship, which is
more capable than Fu Lai. SBSS trust that this
replacement will bring benefits to zone cable
owners.
Picture: www.sbsubmarinesystems.com
Fu Hai to Take Place of Fu Lai for
Half Year YZ Maintenance from
October 2003
C/S “Fu Lai”
Your Advertisement could be placed here!
Interested?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 39
COMPANY NEWS
HOMER ELECTRIC
ASSOCIATION
having to raise the price of delivering electricity to those communities.
Federal Grant received
“Homer Electric has unique situation. We are
regarded as a rail belt utility, but we have this
remote Bush community,” he said of the south
Kachemak villages. “Our members are able to
pay rates that are rail-belt rates and are not
having to pay the high diesel Bush rates.” The
state funds are going to new backup generators
for Port Graham and Seldovia, he said. The
power lines in that area are susceptible to tree
strikes because of the high winds that often
pick up during winter. Eckert said efforts to resurrect downed power lines often got prolonged
in the past because the weather still was raging when crews were attempting to make
repairs.
On the 14th of August 2003, Homer Electric
Association realized a significant windfall
when the U.S. Department of Energy awarded
the member-owned utility $1.9 million. The
grant will pay for installation of the submarine
cable that crosses Kachemak Bay linking the
utility’s energy network with south Kachemak
communities. The submarine cable, which was
completed last fall, is part of a $4-million effort
to improve the reliable, affordable energy to
Halibut Cove, Nanwalek,
Port Graham and Seldovia. The cable also carries fibre optic lines to those residents in anticipation of possible future Internet connections.
U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens’ office gave notice that
funds would be available for half of the project’s cost from the fiscal year 2002 Energy
and Water Development Appropriations bill,
and Homer Electric began installing the cable in
November 2001.
In June 2002, then Gov. Tony Knowles signed
a bill for a state grant to appropriate another $2
million to the project. Homer Electric paid the
initial expenses to lay the submarine, subsurface cable. The federal grant will essentially
reimburse the organization. Interim general
manager Rick Eckert said federal money that
goes to the project will keep the utility from
GLOBACOM
Roll out of new lines in Nigeria
This project, scheduled to be complete by the
end of the year, should alleviate that problem,
he said. Normally, communities or villages this
size have to pay significantly higher rates
because their power is provided by diesel generators. The cost of fuel delivery and storage
and generator maintenance are divided among
a small number of households and buildings.
Eckert said the connection with Homer Electric’s network gives the South Kachemak communities the benefit of efficiencies of scale,
adding the cost of powering those homes and
buildings in with the rest of the utility’s members. “A central service with tens of thousands
of users is more inexpensive than hundreds,” he
said. “They’ve got the cost advantages of being
Page 40
On the 29th of August 2003, Globacom
announced that it would roll out a total of
1.5 million lines to cover six major cities
including Abuja, Lagos Port Harcourt,
Ibadan, Benin and Ijebu-Ode.
Globacom stated that while Abuja lines
would be ready now, the other cities would
have to wait for their lines until October
2003.
Globacom’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mr.
Sabahre Das stated that the need to redefine
Nigerian telecommunication landscape propels the company into its market adding that
it has the innovation and investment
strength to meet and exceed subscribers,
needs and expectations.
He noted that as part of the effort of Globacom to launch itself into the nation’s telephony market, it has acquired 2.5G network to
support voice and high speed data transmission, 10,000 km fibre optics national backbone to provide access and reliable voice
and data transmission and SAT-3 submarine
cable system to ensure a high capacity and
clear connection from Nigeria to the rest of
the world.
served with a larger scale. For an investment of
$4 million, that’s substantial because there
really are not a lot of people over there.”
COMPANY NEWS
MCI
MCI Ranked #1 As Most Connected Internet Backbone Provider
On the 21st of August 2003, MCI reported
that its global IP network has been recognized
again as the world’s most connected Internet
backbone. TeleGeography, a research division of
PriMetrica, Inc., in its annual Global Internet
Geography Database and Report released that
week, found that MCI’s global network continues to serve the Internet with the greatest number of Autonomous System (AS) network connections of any IP network. MCI’s expansive IP
footprint, coupled with its direct interconnections, exceeds all other competitor networks
and enables its business customers and ISPs to
reach more destinations directly through its
global IP backbone than any other carrier.
“Our number one ranking for Autonomous
System connections illustrates MCI’s central
role in delivering critical Internet services for
our customers and the entire Internet community,” said Vint Cerf, senior vice president, MCI
Architecture and Technology. “TeleGeography’s
measurements of Internet activity and IP
growth provide a useful snapshot of what’s
happening on the Internet today, with an eye on
what may happen tomorrow.”
Alan Mauldin, senior research analyst for
TeleGeography added, “The Autonomous System ranking is a measure of the connectedness
of an IP network to the rest of the public Internet. While all networks can reach each other on
the Internet, the AS ranking demonstrates the
closeness of a network to the rest of the Internet, as in number of hops data must take to
reach its destination. Since TeleGeography
began tracking AS-connectivity in 2001, MCI
has ranked first every year.”
America, Latin America, UK-Europe, Africa and
the Asia-Pacific region.
TeleGeography’s global study builds on other
independent studies, which confirm MCI’s
leadership in the IP space. A recent report conducted by the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA), a nonprofit academic organization that analyzes Internet traffic and
capacity issues, found that MCI’s North American backbone is now and has consistently been
a core supplier of Internet service based on
number of directly reachable IP addresses.
www.caida.org.
WorldCom, Inc., which currently conducts
business under the MCI brand name, is a leading global communications provider, delivering
innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With the industry’s
most expansive global IP backbone, based on
company-owned POPs, and wholly owned data
networks, WorldCom develops the converged
communications products and services that are
the foundation for commerce and communications in today’s market.
MCI, the company that pioneered the commercial Internet in 1987 as UUNET, has built an
IP network that spans six continents and supports more than two million global dial
modems. MCI’s Internet backbone provides
more than 4,500 IP POPs throughout North
Page 41
MCI continued its Internet leadership position
by helping to build a trans-Pacific submarine
cable named Southern Cross that opened up
direct Internet traffic routes from California to
Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in
2000.
About WorldCom
For more information regarding TeleGeography and its 2003 Global Internet Geography
Database and Report visit:
www.primetrica.com.
COMPANY NEWS
NORTEL NETWORKS
Nortel Networks Builds Optical
Long-Haul DWDM Network For
Korea Telecom
Nortel Networks has built an optical longhaul DWDM (dense wavelength division multiplexing) network for Korea Telecom, Korea’s
leading carrier. The network was sold through
Growell Telecom Limited, a Nortel Networks
distributor.
The network – based on Nortel Networks
OPTera Long Haul 1600 Optical Line Systems –
is designed to help Korea Telecom address new
business opportunities in one of the most connected, Internet-savvy countries in the Asia
Pacific region.
Korea Telecom’s new optical network
includes ‘point-to-point’ connections from
Gwangju, Kohung to Cheju Island (351 kilometres) and from Gwangju, Namhae to Cheju
Island (513 kilometres).
“Nortel Networks successfully passed our
stringent benchmark test and has proven its
leadership in the optical transmission market,”
said Sun-Cheol Gweon, managing director of
network planning (headquarters), Korea Telecom. “The strong global customer acceptance
and proven cutting-edge technology were
important factors in our choice of Nortel Networks optical solution.”
“This was a major milestone in the local
telecommunications industry,” said Soo-Jin
Chung, managing director, Korea, Nortel Networks. “It marks both our strong relationship
with Korea Telecom and a market leadership
position in deploying high-capacity, long haul
optical networks worldwide.”
80 channels to maximize capacity on each fiber
pair.
REACH
OPTera Long Haul 1600 uses Raman amplification to provide un-repeatered submarine
links of up to 350 kilometres. Raman amplification is a network component that boosts the
optical signal to achieve greater distances. It
eliminates the need for costly submerged
repeaters, positioning service providers to drive
lower capital and operating costs compared to
traditional submarine solutions.
Telstra’s Hong Kong joint venture, Reach, is
expected to lose another $150 million this year,
Hong Kong analysts say.
Deployed in more than 1,000 customer networks in 65 countries, Nortel Networks endto-end optical network portfolio includes next
generation SONET/SDH, optical switching,
photonics (WDM), and Optical Ethernet products. Nortel Networks has deployed more than
250,000 network elements globally. Nortel
Networks was the global market leader in total
optical transport equipment, long haul DWDM
and metropolitan DWDM in 2002, according to
the Dell’Oro Group.
“It looks like the second half will be just as
tough as the first half,” said Voon San Lai, telecom analyst with BNP Paribas Peregrine.
About Nortel Networks
Nortel Networks is an industry leader and
innovator focused on transforming how the
world communicates and exchanges information. The Company is supplying its service
provider and enterprise customers with communications technology and infrastructure to
enable value-added IP data, voice and multimedia services spanning Wireless Networks,
Wireline Networks, Enterprise Networks, and
Optical Networks. As a global company, Nortel
Networks does business in more than 150
countries. More information about Nortel Networks can be found on the Web at www.nortelnetworks.com.
OPTera Long Haul 1600 is a 10Gbps platform
that uses DWDM to split light into as many as
Page 42
US$150m more
Telstra’s partner, Richard Li’s PCCW, surprised investors end of August by announcing
that undersea cable company Reach had lost
about $150 million in the first half of 2003,
pulling down expected profits.
“We are expecting a loss of $150 million for
PCCW (as a result of its 50 per cent share) for
2003.”
He expected Reach’s losses would continue
into 2004.
While many Hong Kong analysts were surprised at the size of the losses, Mr San Lai said
BNP had been “warning investors for months
that Reach would be the new can of worms (for
PCCW)”.
He said Reach management had to “take
some pretty drastic action” to curb the company’s losses.
Reach was formed in February 2001 by amalgamating the international phone businesses of
both Telstra and PCCW.
Telstra moved last February to write off all of
its $1 billion valuation on the Reach venture
and no longer equity accounts Reach’s losses.
COMPANY NEWS
RESON INC.
SEABAT 8150 Maps Active Undersea Volcano
Researchers from the University of Alaska
Fairbanks, School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) successfully mapped an active
undersea volcano, the first to be discovered in
Alaska’s Aleutian Islands region, in late June
2003. Thales GeoSolutions (Pacific) Inc. (San
Diego, California) performed the survey using
RESON Inc. (Goleta, California) SeaBat 8111
and 8150 systems. “The survey goal was to
TELSTRA
Ziggy Switkowski – another two
years Chief Executive
ZIGGY Switkowski is set to be named as chief
executive of telecommunications giant Telstra
for at least two more years before the expiry of
his contract in March next year. Telstra’s board
may indicate its intentions when the company
delivers its annual result.
The board will meet to sign off the results, but
the board papers will also call for discussion of
a new term for Dr Switkowski, who has told
fellow executives he is keen to stay on.
Chairman Bob Mansfield has consistently
argued that Telstra is one of the best-performing telcos in the world, leading to what appears
to be unanimous support for Dr Switkowski’s
reappointment.
One source said there was “definitely no disquiet about Ziggy’s performance” and his performance review earlier this year was said by
insiders to be his best ever. The board is known
to be keen to end speculation about Dr
Switkowski’s position, impressed by the way
in which chiefs like David Morgan at Westpac
and Michael Chaney at Wesfarmers clarified
their positions on tenure well before the expiry
of their contracts. Senior recruitment industry
research and map deep-water corals. The volcano had originally been discovered in 2002,
but the last maps of that region were pre-multibeam technology and so they were not very
detailed. It is the high-resolution bathymetry
and backscatter of the systems that make
everything clear and well defined,” said Ed
Saade, vice president of survey sciences at
Thales GeoSolutions.
“The new seafloor map shows the classic,
conical shape of a volcano and reveals lava
flow fields extending more than 14 kilometres
down-slope,” said Dr. Jennifer Reynolds, the
sources said no search for a replacement was
under way for Dr Switkowski, indicating the
Telstra board was set to approve another term.
But also up for discussion is the length of the
chief executive’s contract, with several directors understood to want to build in shorter-term
contracts as part of a trend in the corporate
world away from long-term contracts with
expensive break clauses. Dr Switkowski
replaced American Frank Blount, who had been
in the position for seven years. With his reappointment, he is likely to see through the full
privatisation of Telstra if the Howard Government can win majority support.
Telstra is expected to deliver a full-year profit
of almost $3 billion, the lowest since it listed
on the stock market in late 1998. The result has
been hit by the January write down of $965
million on its Reach submarine cable joint venture — part of its failed $5 billion alliance with
Hong Kong-based PCCW.
Telstra’s revenues will be about $21.5 billion,
up almost 2 per cent, with earnings up less
than 2 per cent. Analysts will be watching for a
possible further write down of its Hong Kong
mobile business, CSL, of up to $1 billion. Telstra has already written off $1 billion on that
business but most analysts believe more
should come.
Page 43
expedition’s chief scientist. The survey took
place over a period of three weeks covering
depths ranging from 50 to 3,000 meters. A
RESON spokeswoman explained that the
SeaBat 8111 is a portable, 100 kHz multibeam
system. The 24 kHz SeaBat 8150 brings the
latest multibeam technology to the deep-water
market, she noted. Featuring a unique modular
design, 234 dynamically focused beams, and a
max update rate of 15 swaths per second, the
system can be configured for various beam resolutions (0.5° to 2°) by adding or removing
array elements. For more information, visit
www.reson.com.
Since its expensive second foray into Asia, Mr
Mansfield has strengthened the Telstra board
with chief executive experience, including
Cochlear’s Catherine Livingstone, Coles Myer’s
John Fletcher and media veteran Sam
Chisholm.
The market will be hoping for an improved
performance on costs, which were disappointing in the half-year, and any signs of an
improvement in the flat sales and earnings outlook. Dr Switkowski’s initial appointment was
widely seen as political. He was the outsider in
a field of four internal candidates who had only
been with the company for 18 months. He had
formerly been Optus CEO for a year, after 18
years at Kodak. During his tenure, Telstra’s
share price has fallen from $8.50 to $4.70.
But sales and profits have improved steadily at least until this year. But in an industry hit by
the technology crash and the subsequent
telecommunications industry collapse, Telstra
has fared well.
Unlike other large telcos, it did not plunge billions into new mobile phone spectrum licences
or participate too heavily in global expansion.
And, in the face of criticism, Telstra maintained
an unfashionable full-service model - offering
customers a complete set of voice and a data
service, which is now back in vogue.
COMPANY NEWS
AT&T
Network Investments probably
lost
On 08th of September, a senior AT&T Corp
executive stated, that Companies will never get
back the billions of dollars they spent laying the
groundwork for global-data networks, and
more of them will go under or be taken over as
the price of bandwidth on those networks continues to fall.
Justin Sims, the senior vice president
responsible for AT&T’s business outside the
U.S., said he expects the current trend of con-
solidation will continue among the companies
who laid thousands of miles of fibre-optic
cables in the boom days of the late 1990s and
early part of this decade.
Companies that invested in building those
networks no longer expect to make back their
investments, he said. Instead, they are just trying to recoup the money they spend keeping
their networks running — “operations and
maintenance costs and the incremental costs of
supporting a customer.”
Mr. Sims said bandwidth prices, the charge
for transmitting data from place to place, will
Page 44
continue to fall until they are equal to the costs
of keeping the networks running, costs that
increase as new customers are added.
From AT&T’s point of view, it makes sense to
focus on being a customer of those networks,
rather than buying distressed network operators, Mr. Sims said. Although the U.S. telecommunications giant has itself invested in networks with 299,300 miles of undersea cable,
and has the financial resources to buy up cable
operators if it wanted, that doesn’t make sense
in the current market, he said.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
REPEATERLESS CABLE SYSTEMS
No
Area
System
1
Europe
Canaries
2
Europe
3
Owner/Operator
Contract
Supplier
km
Segm.
Installed
Auna
No
?
500
?
No/planned
Greece Silk
Silk Route
Yes
Pirelli
280
1
No/Financing
outstanding
Europe
Greece OTE
OTE
No
Alcatel or Fulgor
300
2
No/planned
4
Europe
GWEN Project
OTE
Yes
Alcatel
700
2
Installation
ongoing
5
Europe
Baltic
LinxTelecom
Yes
GMS/Ericsson
2,000
?
No/Financing
outstanding
6
Europe
Baltic
TransTelecom
No
?
900
5
No/Rumours
7
Europe
St. Petersburg –
Stockholm
FTA
No
?
?
1
No/planned
8
Europe
Riga – Stockholm
FTA
No
?
?
1
No/planned
9
Europe
Shetland –
Orkney – Scotland
Mainland
SSElectricity/BP/Shell
Shetland Council/
Orkney Council
No
?
600
3
No/planned
10
Europe
Pathfinder Project
Government
No
?
1800
Several
No/planned
11
Europe
North Sea (Grane –
Heimdal – Oseberg)
Norsk Hydro
?
?
150
2
No/planned
12
Europe
North Sea –
(Valhall)
BP
Yes
Subsea7
120
Several
Installation
completed
13
Europe
Mediterranean
BCN
Yes
NSW/Corning
10,000
45
No/Financing
outstanding
14
Europe
Sardinia – Italy
Tiscali/Interoute/Enel.it
Tender
ongoing
?
270
1
No/planned
15
Europe
Sardinia – Sicily
Tiscali/Interoute/Enel.it
Tender
ongoing
?
320
?
No/planned
16
Europe
Malta – Sicily
Vodafone
Yes
ASN
260
1
No/planned
17
Europe
SCYLLANET
?
No
?
1,500
8
No/planned
18
Europe
Baltic
German – Swedish
Scientists
No
?
approx.
250
?
No/Rumours
19
Europe
Adriatic Ring
HCom Ltd
No
?
1,610
5
No/concept
20
Middle East
Masirah Island –
Sinaw
Omantel
Yes
?
50
1
No/planned
21
Middle East
Kuwait – Iran
Kuwait & Iranian
Government
Yes
E-Marine + ?
330
2
No/planned
22
Africa
African Festoon
System
?
No
?
40,000
?
No/Rumours
23
Africa
Neptune
Nigeria Festoon
?
No
?
1,000
?
No/Rumours
24
Africa
Angola Festoon
Angola Telecom
Out for
Tender?
MOU with
Ericsson?
1,700
?
No/planned
25
Africa
Namibia Festoon–
Namibia Telecom
No
?
1,500 (+)
Several
No/concept
26
Africa
Mozambique –
Festoon Extensions
TDM
No
?
1,800
5–6
No/concept
27
Africa
Mozambique –
South Africa
South African Telecom
– TDM
No
?
300
1
No/concept
28
India
India Festoon
System
?
No
?
15,000
22+
No/concept
29
Asia
Sumatra Backbone
Project
Telekom Indonesia
Yes
Pirelli/Siemens
345
1
No/planned
30
Asia
DMCS
Telekom Indonesia
No
?
up to
1 or 2
No/planned
continues on P. 46
Page 45
PROJECT OVERVIEW
REPEATERLESS CABLE SYSTEMS
No
Area
System
31
Asia
East-West-Link
Project
32
Asia
33
Owner/Operator
/Telekom Malaysia
...continued
Contract
Supplier
km
300
Segm.
?
Yes
NSW/Corning
Siemens
976
3
Installation
ongoing
Exelcomindo
SSSK
Exelcomindo
Yes
NSW/Corning
760
3
No/planned
Asia
Perushan Gas
Negara
Perushan Gas
Negara
Yes
Nexans
219
1
No/planned
34
Asia
Vietnam Festoon
VNPT
No
?
3,000+
?
No/planned
35
Asia
ARENA
JAMSTEC
No
?
1,000
Sev.
No/concept
36
Asia
Sakhalin 1
Exxon Neftegas Ltd.
Tender
?
130
Sev.
No/planned
37
Asia
Sakhalin 2
Sakhalin Energy
Investment Comp. Ltd.
No
?
20
1
No/planned
38
Australia
Bass Strait Link
with Basslink
Tasmanian
Gouvernment
No
?
250
1
No/planned
39
North America
Cape Brenton
Nova Scotia
EastLink
Cablesystems
Yes
International
Telecom Inc.
?
2
No/planned
40
North America
Iles de la Madeleine
to Gaspé
?
Yes
International
Telecom Inc.
250
1
No/planned
41
North America
Neptune
(Scientific Project)
US Government
No
?
5,755
Sev.
Survey
completed
42
North America
MARS
(Scientific Project)
US Government
Yes
ASN/Mari Pro
101
2
No/planned
Permits
received
43
North America
VENUS
(Scientific Project)
US Government
No
?
?
3
No/concept
44
North America
Northstar Extension
Northstar
Communications
No
?
2,100
Sev.
No/planned
45
North America
FiberWeb Extensions
Gulf Fiber Corporation
No
?
500
Sev.
No/planned
46
North America
Chesapeske Bay –
Norfolk to Baltimore
Clearstream
Communications
No
?
500
1
No/planned
47
North America/
Hawaii
Inter Island
Connections
Sandwich Isles
Communications
No
?
1,500
Sev.
No/planned
48
Caribbean
WINONE
Private Investor
No
?
4,000
Sev.
No/concept
49
Caribbean
ARCOS 8
New World Network
No
MOU with NSW
1,400 1600
Sev.
No/concept
50
Caribbean
Calypso-1
Telkom Caribe
No
?
3,000+
Sev.
No/concept
51
Caribbean
SMPR-1
Smitcoms
Yes
NSW/Corning
374 km
(+)
1 (+)
No/planned
52
Caribbean
Florida – Bahamas
Cable Crossing Ltd.
Yes
IT International
Telecom
250 km
1
No/concept
53
South America
Aquatica
Schahin Telecom
Yes
NSW/Corning
and Pirelli
5,000
13
No/Financing
outstanding
54
South America
Falkland Islands
?
No
GMSL?
200
1
No/planned
55
South America
Festoon Columbia
?
No
?
?
?
No/Rumours
56
South America
Festoon Chile
?
No
?
?
?
No/Rumours
57
South America
Festoon Peru
?
No
?
?
?
No/Rumours
Page 46
Installed
PROJECT OVERVIEW
REPEATERED CABLE SYSTEMS
No
Area
System
Owner/Operator Contract
Supplier
Route
km
1
Europe/
America
Amber
(TAT15)
Consortium
2
Europe
B–DEOS
3
Europe
4
Segm.
Installed
No
?
North Atlantic
?
?
No/on Hold
Consortium of
research groups
and institutions
No
?
Norh Atlantic
and Southern
Ocean
1,000+
(reused
cables)
several
No/concept
SR1
Silk Route
Yes
Pirelli
Athens
1,000
1
No/on Hold
Europe
FARICE
TeleDenmark
Iceland Telecom –
Scottish Power
Company
Yes
Pirelli
Iceland – Faroes
Scotland
1,600
2
Installation
ongoing
5
Europe
Svalbard Cable
Project
NRSE
Yes
Tyco Telecommunications
Harstad –
Spitzbergen
2,800
2
Installation
ongoing
6
Europe
Tenerife – Cadiz
Spanish
Telecommunication
on Companies
No
?
Tenerife – Cadiz
1,400
1
No/planned
financing
completed
7
Europe
Turkish
Mediterranean
Fibre Cable
System
Turkish
International
Telekom
Tender
ongoing
Pirelli?
Turkey – Italy
or France or Spain
2,100 –
3,500
?
No/planned
8
Europe
ESONET
European Sea
Floor Observatory
Network
No
?
Norway to Greece
1,500
1 (7
segments)
No/concept
9
Europe
FLAG WEB
Flag
No
?
Italy – Sicily –
Alexandria &
Pakistan & other
countries in the
Persian Gulf
?
?
Flag emerged
from Chapter
11 – further
activity
planned?
10
Middle East
Pakistan - UAE
?
No
?
Fujairah - Karachi
1,200
1
No/planned
11
Middle East
UAE - Iran
?
No
?
?
?
1
No/Rumours
12
Middle East
Pakistan India
?
No
?
?
?
1
No/Rumours
13
Middle East
UAE - India
?
No
?
?
?
1
No/Rumours
14
Africa
East Coast
Cable System
?
No
?
Durban – Djibouti
7,500
4
No/concept –
Feasibility
study ongoing
15
Asia
Bangladesh
– India
?
No
?
?
?
?
Rumours
16
Asia
India –
Malaysia –
Singapore
Maxis/Starhub/
Reliance/
Software Tech.
Park
No
?
India –
Malaysia –
Singapore
2,500
?
Rumours
17
Asia
India –
Hong Kong
Dishnet DSL
No
?
India – Singapore
– Hong Kong
?
?
Rumours
18
Asia
APCN2
Interlink
APCN2
Consortium
No
?
Hong Kong –
Taiwan
1,600
1
No/planned
19
Asia
C2C
Extension
C2C
No
?
South Korea –
China
?
1
Rumours
20
Asia
Singapore –
Indonesia –
Thailand
SingTel/PT
Telekom/CAT
Yes
NEC
Singapore –
Indonesia –
Thailand
1,000
?
Installation
ongoing
21
Asia
i2i
SingTel
Yes
ASN
Singapore –
Medan –
Chennai
3,200
2
Phase 1
finished
Phase 2
on hold
continues on P. 48
Page 47
PROJECT OVERVIEW
REPEATERED CABLE SYSTEMS
No
Area
System
Owner/Operator Contract
22
Asia
AAN
SingTel/NTT
23
Asia
JNAC
24
Asia
25
...continued
Supplier
Route
km
Segm.
MoU
signed
with NEC
?NEC?
Across Asia
?
sev.
SingTel/NTT
No
?
Japan –
North America
?
?
No/concept
Russia – Japan
FTA
No
?
Sovetskaya
Gavan – Japan
?
?
1
1
No/planned
Asia
Russia – Japan
FTA
No
?
Nakhodka – Japan
?
1
No/planned
26
Asia
Russia – Korea –
China
FTA
No
?
Nakhodka –
Korea – China
?
2
No/planned
27
Asia
China-US II
Consortium
No
?
Ring System
?
4
No/planned
28
Asia
Fiji – Tahiti
?
No
Tyco ?
Fiji – Tahiti
4,000
1
Rumours
29
Asia
Pacific
Express
Great Circle
No
?
US-Asia
?
?
No/concept
30
India/Australia
?
?
No
?
Chennai – Perth
?
?
No/Rumours
31
Australia
Tasman 3
Telstra
No
?
Australia –
New Zealand
?
?
Cancelled
32
Australia
Australia –
Singapore
SingTel/
Telstra
No
?
Australia –
Singapore
?
?
No/planned
33
North America
Cuba – USA
?
No
?
?
?
?
Rumours
34
North America
AUFS-West
GCI
Yes
NEC/OCC/
Global Marine
Alaska – Oregon
2,500
1
No/planned
35
North America
Nicaragua – USA
Telecommunicaciones
Phenix, S.A.
No
?
Nicaragua – USA
1,800
several
No/concept
36
Caribbean
Barbados –
St. Croix
?
No
?
Barbados –
St.Croix
900
?
No/Rumours
37
World
Polarnet
Private Russian
Investors &
C&W
No
ASN/NEC?
UK – Norway –
Alaska – Oregon
– Japan
20,000+
4–5
No/planned
Arctic survey
ongoing
38
World
India – Middle East
Europe
Data Access
No
?
India – Middle East–
Europe
?
?
No/rumours
39
World
Axone Networks
Axone Networks
No
?
UK – Med –
Middle East – India
20.000+
?
No/on Hold
40
World
SEA-ME-WE4
Consortium
No
?
France – Singapore
18,500
Are you looking for a job or do you
have jobs to offer?
Contact: [email protected]
Page 48
Installed
No/planned
Survey compl.
On hold
No/planned
OUTLOOK
EDITION NO. 16
OCTOBER 2003
... will be ready mid of October.
In the next Issue you will find
•
•
•
Project Updates
Company News
Press Releases and Market Intelligence, etc.
If you have any information regarding
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eckhard Bruckschen
Editor of www.subcablenews.com!
Dear reader of
www.SubCableNews.com,
I hope you enjoyed reading the fifteenth issue
of the SubCableNews, the Newsletter for the
whole industry involved in the submarine cable
market.
I always try to be up to date with all the information available. Any contribution is welcome
and should be forwarded to the editor.
... and you want to share this information, just contact: [email protected]
If you want to present
•
•
•
•
Best regards
Your Eckhard Bruckschen
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in www.SubCableNews.com is derived from sources,
New projects
New services
New technologies
New products
Carrier plans
Tenders
Contracts
Performances of Contractors
Jobs
Rumours etc.
Your company
Your team
Your services
Your project
... in the next Newsletter, just let me know: [email protected]
You want to advertise in the next Newsletter?
Please contact: [email protected]
which we believe to be accurate but is not
guaranteed. www.SubCableNews.com is
not responsible for any errors or omissions
and disclaims any liability incurred as a
IMPRINT
consequence of any of the contents of this
resource. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, duplicated, published or transmitted in any form by any means without
prior written permission from the publisher.
All rights reserved.
EDITOR: Eckhard Bruckschen (E-Mail: [email protected]); PUBLISHER: medienmenschen
Verlag; Lucile-Grahn-Str. 27; 81675 Munich; Germany; Tel. +49 89-688-90-448; Fax, +49 8968-15-75; [email protected]; ART DIRECTOR: Claudia Mühlbauer; ADVERTISING DIRECTOR:
Christian Bonk ([email protected]); S UBSCRIBER SERVICES: Ines Bruckschen
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Page 49