The opening of Zayo’s new Zeus subsea route, which connects the UK and continental Europe via access points in Zandvoort, the Netherlands, and Lowestoft, the UK, has been announced. The subsea route includes terrestrial backhaul connectivity to London and Amsterdam. Zeus was designed by Zayo to be the most dense, securely buried, and durable cable currently available in the North Sea.
Zeus was created with speed, security, and reliability in mind. Zeus has the most fibers (192 total) connecting the UK to continental Europe. The wavelength throughput on a single channel between London and Amsterdam can reach up to 600G thanks to Zayo’s use of Ultra Low Loss (ULL) optical fibers. When fully utilized, the network can handle 2,650 Tbps of C Band to satisfy consumers’ needs for next-generation bandwidth.
“Meeting the connectivity needs of tomorrow requires deploying the most advanced network today, and that’s exactly what we’ve built for customers who want a hyper-fast and ultra-reliable connection between the UK and mainland Europe,” said Jesper Aagaard, President at Zayo Europe. “Zeus is now the strongest connection available in the region. We utilized the best cable available, buried it deeper in the seabed than our competitors and made it even more reliable than alternatives. We are confident our customers will benefit from this project for years and even decades to come.”
Unexploded Bombs from Second World War
In comparison to older, out-of-date cables, Zeus would now be the North Sea’s deepest cable, having been buried between two and three meters beneath the seabed. To prevent interference, the cable is promised to be completely dual-armored, right through the joints. Zayo regularly monitors Zeus using OTDR equipment for quick fault identification in order to guarantee the best possible client experience. Additionally, Zayo will use a guard vessel that is on duty around-the-clock to keep an eye on any activities along the way.
“The North Sea is an extremely challenging body of water for a subsea project like Zeus. Not only are there harsh weather conditions and relentless currents, the seabed is littered with items, some as simple as a discarded aluminum can and some as formidable as unexploded bombs left over from the Second World War,” said Geir Holmer, CEO at JTD Associates and a key consultant on the project. “Not only did we overcome these challenges, we worked tirelessly with Zayo to ensure this route was built to last – making it the most resilient route across the North Sea. I’m proud to have been part of this project, and what it will enable.”
As part of the project, the crew collaborated with the Royal Netherlands Navy to blow an enormous bomb that had been buried beneath the ocean’s surface for more than 80 years, ever since World War II. The group prioritized sustainability as well, striving to minimize damage and protect the marine ecosystem.
Zayo keeps expanding its European-based NOC to offer customers best-in-class service as more users log on to Zeus. When many companies in the sector are outsourcing crucial customer support tasks, Zayo is putting this staff at its European headquarters, which is located in the heart of London. The European team at Zayo is also getting ready to introduce a new ULL route, a crucial one for financial clients, that runs from Frankfurt to Milan through Zurich.
