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Paris, 9 June 1998 - Alcatel has been awarded a US$200 million contract by Global Crossing for a new, high capacity, undersea telecommunications network off the east coast of North America.
On completion at the end of 1999 the system, to be called 'Mid-Atlantic Crossing' (MAC), will connect Brookhaven, New York; Hollywood, Florida; St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, and Bermuda over 6000 kilometres.
The repeatered network will utilise wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). Operating over two fibre pairs, the system will initially use four wavelengths operating at 2.5 Gbit/s providing a traffic path of 20 Gbit/s capacity and capable of carrying a mix of voice, data and video traffic.
In order to cater for future traffic growth, Alcatel will be supplying a network capable of expansion to a minimum capacity of 40 Gbit/s It will be able to operate at a greater number of wavelengths and at a bit rate of either 2.5 Gbit/s or 10 Gbit/s.
Mr. Christian Reinaudo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Alcatel Submarine Networks, commented: "The advent of newly-emerging carriers, such as Global Crossing, is completely changing the face of the development of international connectivity. Not only is the marketplace for undersea links currently an exceptionally active one, but our customers are demanding ever-higher capacities with the capability for coping with future traffic growth as demands for data connections, like the Internet, for example, continue their explosive growth."
Mid-Atlantic Crossing is the most recent addition to Global Crossing's plans for an expanding worldwide network which will enable direct undersea fibre optic connectivity between Europe and Japan.
Alcatel is a world leader in telecommunications systems and equipment, with operations in over 130 countries. It provides complete solutions and services ranging from backbone networks to user terminals for operators, service providers, enterprises and consumers. Alcatel Alsthom, to be renamed Alcatel, has been up to now a multi-business company with revenues of $31 billion in 1997. It is currently reshaping its portfolio on its core business, telecom and cables, with a dedicated revenue of $22 billion in 1997.
Global Crossing is a leading independent developer,
owner, and operator of open-access fiber-optic global telecommunication
networks, with offices in Hamilton, Bermuda; Los Angeles; Morristown,
New Jersey; San Francisco and London.