Anchorage-based Quintillion Networks is deploying Ciena’s 8700 Packetwave platform to support the first phase of its 15,000km submarine fibre-optic cable system through the Arctic. When complete, the subsea cable will connect Europe to Asia along the Lower Northwest Passage, providing a diverse and shorter route between the two continents.
Phase 1 of the network build in Alaska, which is nearing completion, will connect Nome and Prudhoe Bay, with branches into four rural coastal communities: Barrow, Point Hope, Wainwright and Kotzebue. Construction is also underway for a new terrestrial fibre system between Prudhoe Bay and Fairbanks that will also provide a fibre link between the continental United States and the Arctic.
Communities living in these areas currently have limited options for connectivity, Quintillion says. The upgraded cable system will greatly reduce the cost of connectivity and provide improved access to critical healthcare, commercial and educational resources. The network is scheduled for service in 2017.
Ciena’s 8700 Packetwave platform, which is Carrier Ethernet MEF 2.0 certified and powered with WaveLogic coherent optics, provides the foundation for this network. With power and space limitations in the North American Arctic, the compact size and low power consumption benefits of the 8700 efficiently provides a scalable, secure and reliable solution, Ciena claims.
Quintillion is also using Ciena’s PinPoint Advanced Fiber Analytics and SLA Portal. These advanced software capabilities will use the data captured by Ciena’s unified management software, which provides customisable network monitoring to improve network reliability and add protection and quality assurance for end users.
“Quintillion’s system will bring improved connectivity to underserved areas in Alaska, with plans to provide a vital alternate route for low-latency connectivity to and from the United States when subsequent phases are complete. Ciena’s 8700 and advanced software capabilities allow us to build a high-capacity and reliable network that can support our needs today and for years to come,” said Matt Peterson, vice president network management, Quintillion