PRLog (Press Release) –
Mar 16, 2008 –
Hong Kong (26 February 2008) ” Pacnet today announced its latest investment into expanding its subsea cable network with the launch of its first Trans-Pacific cable infrastructure, EAC Pacific.
EAC Pacific will enhance connectivity and reliability of Pacnet’s existing pan-Asia EAC-C2C subsea cable network by providing up to 1.92 Tbps of bandwidth across the Pacific.
“While intra-Asia bandwidth demands are being met by regional cable systems such as Pacnet’s EAC-C2C cable network, Unity will allow us to meet the increasing demand for Trans-Pacific bandwidth as more digital content is generated from within Asia and accessed from across the Pacific,†said Bill Barney, CEO of Pacnet.
EAC Pacific is part of the 10,000km Unity cable system that is being built by a global consortium which includes five other global companies and is expected to cost about US$300 million.
Pacnet is the single largest investor in Unity and will control two of the five fiber pairs in Unity. Each of the fiber pairs of the Unity cable system are capable of carrying up to 960 Gbps, and the cable system can scale up to eight fiber pairs. Initial capacity from Unity is expected by the first quarter of 2010.
Through Unity, Pacnet and its consortium partners have led the way for a new operating model for future submarine cable systems.
By coming together to build a cable with a high fiber count, consortium members can benefit from a high bandwidth cable that comes at lower unit costs. Additionally, unlike traditional consortium-built cables, the new cable operating model allows consortium members like Pacnet to operate fiber pairs in the new cable independently.
Unity, which will land in Los Angeles, California (USA), will connect directly to Chikura, Japan, where it will be seamlessly connected to Pacnet’s EAC-C2C network. This will enhance the reliability and resiliency of Pacnet’s cable network by offering additional capacity and route diversity.
“Pacnet first unveiled our Trans-Pacific cable strategy in 2007. Having secured the funding for our network expansion, we will continue to look for network expansion opportunities across the Pacific†said Mr Barney.
About Pacnet
Pacnet, a leading telecom services provider, was born from the operational merger of Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet. Pacnet owns and operates EAC-C2C, Asia's largest privately-owned submarine cable network at 36,800 km with design capacity of 10.24 Tbps. Offering a comprehensive portfolio of industry leading IP-based solutions, Pacnet serves the carriers market as well as large enterprises and SMEs. Pacnet is headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore with offices in all key markets in Asia and worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.pacnet.com
About Unity
Unity is an international consortium that is developing a 10,000 km undersea cable system connecting Japan and the United States. The system will provide much needed capacity to sustain the increased growth in data and Internet traffic between Asia and the United States. Members of the consortium include Bharti Airtel, Global Transit Ltd., Google, KDDI, Pacnet and SingTel. NEC and Tyco Telecommunications are the suppliers for the Unity project, which is scheduled to go live in the first quarter of 2010.
Pacnet, the region’s largest independent telecommunications service provider, is born out of the recent merger of Asia Netcom and Pacific Internet. Fueling Pacnet’s growth are synergies reaped from the two companies. As one of Asia Pacific’s premier providers of broadband, the company has unique assets that are not easily replicable. Pacnet owns and operates the region’s leading pan-Asian submarine network and provides a comprehensive portfolio of city-to-city connectivity, data communications and IP-based solutions and services. Pacnet offers solutions for retail consumers, Fortune 500 companies, as well as the wholesale carrier market. The company has headquarters in Hong Kong and Singapore with local offices in all major Asian markets, the US and Europe. For more information, please visit: www.pacnet.com
