Crosslake Fibre, an international network service provider, is building a new submarine cable and terrestrial GeoMesh Extreme network between the “critical but underserved” data hubs of Slough, UK, and Paris, France. Crosslake Fibre is using Ciena’s (NYSE: CIEN) coherent optical technology and advanced analytics apps for the deployment of this new European network route.
The new network, known as ‘CrossChannel Fibre’ and initially announced in December 2020, is the first of its sort to be created across the English Channel’s busiest shipping lanes since 2001. CrossChannel Fibre would deliver much-needed capacity and low latency to serve the rapidly expanding bandwidth demands of telecommunications carriers, Internet content providers, financial institutions, and media and gaming firms alike.
Equinix’s London and Paris data centers will be connected by this new international low latency fiber optic initiative. CrossChannel Fibre is expected to be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2021. Following the connection project between Toronto and Secaucus, New Jersey, this is Equinix’s second partnership with Crosslake Fibre.
“There hasn’t been a new fiber network across the Channel in two decades,” said Mike Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Crosslake Fibre. “We saw the need for a modern network infrastructure – one that can handle the rigorous demands of today’s digital world, but also serve generations well into the future. And that’s the vision behind CrossChannel.”
High Network Performance and Minimal Lag
Crosslake is adopting Ciena’s 6500 packet-optical platform powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme to accommodate ravenous traffic growth driven by cloud, video, and the Internet of Things (IoT). It would offer a differentiated client experience with increased bandwidth and reliability. Furthermore, the network provider is combining Ciena’s Manage, Control, and Plan (MCP) with Liquid Spectrum’s Channel Margin Gauge tool to assign and scale capacity in real time, from 600Gbps to 800Gbps, in order to rapidly respond to changing client needs and optimize the value of deployed assets.
“A lot of online activities, but especially gaming and streaming, call for blazing performance and minimal delays or lag,” said Ian Clarke, Vice President of Global Submarine Solutions, Ciena. “Crosslake’s submarine cable network, with its high reliability and speedy connectivity, also plays a pivotal role in elevating experiences like eSports and videoconferencing.”
Crosslake Fibre is an international Network Service Provider (NSP) and developer of fiber-optic projects throughout North America and Europe. The NSP is a member of the Ciena Partner Network, which gives them access to resources, content, and initiatives that help them expand faster in the face of shifting market and technological conditions.
