Utilizing Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme, wholesale telecommunications service provider C&W Networks is upgrading its CFX-1 (Colombia-Florida Express) and EWC (East West Cable) undersea cable networks to supply cutting-edge broadband and IP services of up to 400Gb/s. The increasing bandwidth requirements of C&W Networks’ telecom and Internet Service Provider (ISP) clients will be assisted by these network enhancements.
In the wider Caribbean, Central American, and Andean areas, C&W Networks runs one of the biggest undersea multi-ring fiber-optic networks, offering access to almost 40 nations. While the 1,700km EWC cable connects the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, the 2400km CFX-1 express cable would connect the United States, Jamaica, and Colombia “with less than 25ms of delay.”
“Online content, especially streaming video, continues to drive robust demand for data and high-speed connectivity in the regions we serve,” said Chris Coles, Vice President and General Manager at C&W Networks. The additional capacity we’re turning up on CFX-1 and EWC with Ciena allows us to meet this demand head-on, enriching our service offerings for customers while sustainably and cost-effectively extending the lifespan of these cable systems.”
Connectivity for the Pan-Caribbean Region
On existing underwater systems, Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme, which makes use of the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and WaveLogic 5 Extreme coherent optics, provides C&W Networks with new improved capacity and scalable service speeds. The CFX-1 cable that connects the United States to Colombia and Jamaica has been upgraded with Ciena’s most recent technology, resulting in a 10-fold capacity boost of more than 32Tb/s with 100Gb/s-400Gb/s services.
The Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller from Ciena would enable visibility and end-to-end administration of the cable network, while Ciena Services offers deployment and reconfiguration services to quicken time to revenue and guarantee project success.
“C&W Networks’ submarine cables cross the ocean to bring the pan-Caribbean region new opportunities and economic growth through connectivity,” said Ian Clarke, Vice President of Global Submarine Solutions at Ciena. “With our GeoMesh Extreme, they’re able to do that while maximizing spectral efficiency and minimizing the cost-, space- and power-per-bit transported, resulting in lower total cost of ownership and greater competitive advantage.”
