Completion of global fibre network announced by Tata Communications
Completion of global fibre network announced by Tata Communications
Tata Communications has announced the completion of the first fibre optic cable network to join the entire world.
The round-the-world network runs for 9,280km, joining Marseille to the UK, then the US to the UK under the Atlantic and across the Pacific to Singapore, through Asia and India. The final Eurasian stretch has just been finished, completing the circuit.
The $800 million project is supported by MPLS connectivity and offers low latency of 92 msec, with speeds reaching between 2Mbps to 10Gbps.
Vinod Kumar, Tata’s CEO, told delegates at the firm’s recent Global Media and Analyst Summit, “This ring around the world is not just a cobbled up network of strings that have been put together. This is end-to-end connectivity.
“What that means is we’re not dependent on other players providing links in the chain, we control the whole chain.”
He added that the network also means its services are protected from natural catastrophes by ensuring it has full ownership of the physical cables and can scale its bandwidth up or down depending on requirements. It can even re-route traffic if a cable has to be cut due to natural disasters, for example.
Tata claims that investing in major network infrastructure is worthwhile and has invested over $4 billion over the past five years alone. Projects have ranged from the construction of data centres to the laying of submarine cables and the establishment of global networks.
Mr Kumar explained, “We find that, when we build infrastructure, the economics are compelling. Yes there is a capital investment that is required, but between leasing infrastructure and building it on your own, the efficiency can be almost 1:50.”
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