Major New Transatlantic Fibre

IrelandOffline_

http://irelandoffline.org/2011/12/major-new-transatlantic-fibre/

IrelandOffline, a leading consumer advocacy group in telecommunications warmly welcomes the announcement that a major transatlantic fibre will be landing at Belmullet in County Mayo. The cable is low latency (sub 60ms) and is a huge increase in the inter-connectivity into Ireland. The route this cable takes is only 5200Kms which is the shortest route across the Atlantic. The fibre consists of 100 x 100 Gbps per Fiber Pair (60Tbit Total Design Capacity and is Future Proofed)
Eamonn Wallace, Chairman of IrelandOffline said : “This is a great day for Ireland as this fibre cable will bring much needed international transatlantic traffic to Ireland. The cable will be a low latency cable and follows the “Great Circle route” which is the shortest transatlantic route by far. This is the optimal route across the Atlantic and cables should follow this route in future. Low latency is a key driver in international e-commerce and financial trading between major financial centres. This shows the importance of the west coast of Ireland as a landing point for trans-Atlantic fibre transit. We in IrelandOffline look forward to more fibres making landfall in this region and to the region becoming a hotspot for international connectivity”

Wallace continued : “The landing of this fibre outlines how Ireland is now well served for international traffic, we now have two new cables between Dublin and Wales coming online which will allows for cheap and rapid transit across the Irish Sea. The Welsh regional authorities have installed a fibre to connect these to the UK core fibre network. This will allow very fast transit across the UK to London and Europe”

Wallace went on to say : “Now all we need to do to utilize this fantastic interconnectivity available to us is to improve the dark fibre provision throughout the State. Building a National Dark Fibre network will help access in the local access network (the network that connects homes to local POPs and the MANs). This is now an urgent priority for Ireland Inc if we want to advance into the digital age and to benefit all the hard-pressed consumers of Ireland. Limited fibre rollouts (to a few isolated towns) and building stranded MAN networks with no backhaul is not a proper solution. How is Ireland to benefit from this new digital age if the New Era (and Labours equivalent) are to be left on the shelf and ignored? If we do not do this we risk falling behind, the likes of China(1) and Brazil(2) are building Next Generation Networks so should we.”

Minister Rabbitte is to present the results of his ‘New Era’ discussions with a very small list of stakeholders in the Irish Telecommunications sphere this December. Levelling out access between regions and to Dublin through the removal of barriers to market entry must be the starting point otherwise this latest talking shop in the DCENR will go the way of most of its predecessor deliberations, i.e. into oblivion and sit on a shelf somewhere.

(1) http://www.telecoms.com/30287/alcatel-lucent-selected-for-broadband-china-fibre-cities-project/
(2) http://itdecs.com/2011/07/brazil-tech-the-national-broadband-plan/

oscarBravo

IrelandOffline_ wrote: »

Wallace went on to say : “Now all we need to do to utilize this fantastic interconnectivity available to us is to improve the dark fibre provision throughout the State. Building a National Dark Fibre network will help access in the local access network (the network that connects homes to local POPs and the MANs).

The second announcement that was made today in parallel with the Emerald project - the Pipiper Infrastructure project - goes some way towards addressing that.

I have to say, it feels good (from a personal perspective) that Mayo will go from being a forgotten backwater in fibre terms to being the landing site of the fastest, highest-capacity transatlantic fibre.

oscarBravo

A little bit of philosophical musing on the topic, if I may: the CEO of Emerald presented Enda Kenny with a plaque on which were mounted a section of the first undersea telegraph cable from Valentia to Newfoundland, and a section of the type of fibre-optic cable that will be used in this project.

A brief conversation with Barry Rhodes of INEX got me thinking about it in this way: the original cable could carry about one character every two minutes. Taking some liberty by equating a Morse code character to a present-day byte, let's call that 0.07 bits per second. The Emerald cable will carry 60 terabits per second - or 900,000,000,000,000 (nine hundred trillion) times the capacity of the original.

Not bad progress in 150-odd years.

bealtine

oscarBravo wrote: »

the original cable could carry about one character every two minutes. Taking some liberty by equating a Morse code character to a present-day byte, let's call that 0.07 bits per second. The Emerald cable will carry 60 terabits per second - or 900,000,000,000,000 (nine hundred trillion) times the capacity of the original.

It also clearly demonstrates the the days of cooper as a medium are clearly over and that fibre is the future for telecoms. Victorian era technology should be outlawed:)

bealtine

http://www.westernpeople.com/news/ojkfkfgbsn/

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2011/1202/1224308464844.html

clohamon

Deirdre Clune was trying to get the Ministers's attention for a similar kind of thing to branch to Cork (which is not in Mayo) under Hibernia Atlantic Express. They seem to be further ahead and have more secure funding. I hope the business case for Emerald doesn't evaporate before they get started.

oscarBravo

Emerald's cable is a shorter transatlantic route, offering slightly lower latency (in the order of a few milliseconds) - a small enough difference to you and me, but - apparently - worth millions to certain financial industries.

There's also the spur to Iceland to take advantage of the potential for data centres there.

bealtine

http://emeraldnetworks.com/system-map/

clohamon

oscarBravo wrote: »

Emerald's cable is a shorter transatlantic route, offering slightly lower latency (in the order of a few milliseconds) - a small enough difference to you and me, but - apparently - worth millions to certain financial industries.

Not much in it though. Seemingly the great circle route from New York to London passes under Limerick. You can trick around with combinations of JFK, LHR, NOC and ORK here. 3458mi vs 3459mi

You've also got to wonder at a trading model where success is based on whether you can transact 1 ms faster than your competitors. It seems to imply that there's no underlying value in the transactions. About as substantial as a game of Snap.

bealtine

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/24814-us-300m-trans-atlantic/

dubhthach

Believe it or not Bord Gáis own their own Telco called "Aurora Telecom" that have "Dark Fibre" and Ducting that follows the Gas Network. When they built the pipeline from Galway to Dublin they put in the ducting for Fibre. Last year they announced that they were going to install Fibre on this route. The also recently enough built a pipeline that branches from this route that goes up to Rossport. This also has ducting preinstalled.

I would imaginie that one of reasons for landfall in Belmullet is because they can then use the already preinstalled Ducting from Bord Gáis to get to Dublin. They will have to also provided a redudant connection but this shouldn't be too much of a problem. There are two new cross Irish sea Fibre connections going in at the moment, these are the CeltixConnect cable as well as the cable that is been laid with the electricity interconnector. This should guarantee diversity of connection to UK. Though of course they might just laid their own diverse cable in the Irish sea.

Landing point in Belmullet is Port na bhFrancach (Portnafrankagh) their map use to say "Frenchport" for some reason a literally translation from the Irish (ignoring the existing angliscation). I see it now just says Belmullet.

Either way this is very good news for West of Ireland. All traffic originating in Galway etc has to go cross-country to Dublin before it can go transatlantic. Having a direct connection into Connacht will allow for direct hop to North America removing latency.

oscarBravo

clohamon wrote: »

You've also got to wonder at a trading model where success is based on whether you can transact 1 ms faster than your competitors. It seems to imply that there's no underlying value in the transactions. About as substantial as a game of Snap.

Now there's a whole 'nother conversation.

I don't much care why a firm wants 1ms less latency to New York, if it gets some desperately-needed fibre into the regions.

dubhthach

There's a video from INEX 15th anniversary talking bout this project while it was still in design stage, obviously it's before they decided on landing in Belmullet however it's strongly hinted that some sort of discussion was ongoing between them and Gov at the time.

http://media.heanet.ie/page/3782b92f2fb947a68f0e641e6c70b766

I recall hearing a that an improvement of 1ms could be worth $7m to financial trading companies.

bealtine

The other part of this project: Pipiper Infrastructure Project

http://pipiperinfrastructure.com/project-joshua/

bealtine

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/24821-rollout-of-irelands-dark/

More on the Pipiper project....

clohamon

dubhthach wrote: »

I recall hearing a that an improvement of 1ms could be worth $7m to financial trading companies.

This is from the original Telegraph article about the Hibernia cable.

Of course, verifiable figures are elusive and estimates vary wildly, but it is claimed that a one millisecond advantage could be worth up to $100m (£63m) a year to the bottom line of a large hedge fund.

The British firm laying the cable, Global Marine Systems, is plotting a new route that is shorter than any previously taken by a transatlantic cable. As closely as possible, it will follow "the great circle" flight path followed by London-to-New York flights.
"We spent 18 months planning the route," says Mike Saunders, Hibernia Atlantic's vice-president of business development. "If it ever gets beaten for speed we end up giving our customers their money back, basically, so my boss would kill me if we got it wrong."
And, he says, customers from hedge funds, currency dealers and exotic proprietary trading firms are queuing up for the switch-on in 2013.
"That's the way these guys think," Mr Saunders says.
"If one of them is on a faster route, they all have to get on it."

Mr Saunders gave away a hostage to fortune there. Let's hope his boss can see the funny side.

bealtine

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/12/03/new-iceland-undersea-data-cable-will-be-the-fastest-to-date/

The news on this as seen from Iceland

watty

Fibre is slower than Air.

I want money to make giant towers every 50km across the Atlantic. I'm not sure how much faster that would be, but it would be faster.

bealtine

watty wrote: »

Fibre is slower than Air.

I want money to make giant towers every 50km across the Atlantic. I'm not sure how much faster that would be, but it would be faster.

I propose ethernet by carrier pigeon...

watty

Iceland is offering Carbon neutral or negative Data hosting (Geothermal heating in winter, no cooling needed in summer and Geothermal based Electric).

So how many Irish & UK Hosting contracts will be lost to Iceland?
(Note to self. Check prices when fibre is lit)

watty

bealtine wrote: »

I propose ethernet by carrier pigeon...

Too slow except on bulk FTP.

Actually optical telegraph predates electric telegraph by about a 100 years. (The "clacks").
Microwave is also not unrelated to optical.

bealtine

watty wrote: »

Too slow except on bulk FTP.

If the DECNR have their way we can all use pigeon packets as it clearly doesn't break the ISO model and is obviously related to mobile "midband":-)

watty

For Bulk file transfer from Dublin to Rural Ireland the Pigeon is faster than most DSL and and almost all Mobile.

A honda 90 with pizza box full of exabyte tapes wins of course.

royster999

whats the latest on this ?

dubhthach

Landing site will be in Killala Bay the last I heard.

http://new.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/18478-killala-selected-as-the-landing-location-for-transatlantic-emerald-express-project

http://www.emeraldnetworks.com/wp-content/files_mf/1389718298_magicfields_link_pdf_1_1.html

royster999

Will there be any jobs created for this in Mayo I wonder ?

dubhthach

royster999 wrote: »

Will there be any jobs created for this in Mayo I wonder ?

Well it depends, obviously something like this will require landing station/infrastructure. So there would be construction jobs etc. The best way to think of it though is like having a Motorway. Sure you have jobs during construction but the main benefit is the ease of access it will give to new businesses to come into an area.

A major fibre connection with relevant cross-country links would make the likes of Mayo quite a good location for Data centres (as long as the power infrastructure is up to scratch). Ambient air cooling etc.

royster999

Yeah there will be jobs during pipe laying etc.

Long term wise, would there be a small gateway site office there where the pipe comes ashore, i.e. for monitoring

dubhthach

There would be a landing station yes, see the following pdf for some detail on another transatlantic cable system (Hibernian Atlantic) which has cable landing station in Clonshaugh in North Co. Dublin

http://www.hiberniaatlantic.com/pdf/hibernia_Brochure.pdf

There's good bit of relevant ducting already in place for terrestrial route. For example when the Gas pipeline was built up to Mayo Bord Gáis put ducting in place so that Fibre could be placed in it later.

oscarBravo

dubhthach wrote: »

A major fibre connection with relevant cross-country links would make the likes of Mayo quite a good location for Data centres (as long as the power infrastructure is up to scratch).

Dear lord Jaysus, don't mention the pylons! :eek:

dubhthach

oscarBravo wrote: »

Dear lord Jaysus, don't mention the pylons! :eek:

Awh yes "GridWest" as Eirgrid call it:



Combine that with low latency link to US (and continent) and you've got Datacentre heaven in Mayo (given the ambient air temp)

watty

People objecting to Pylons or Mobile Phone masts have only ONE basis to complain. They don't like the appearance of them.

Any other claim has never had any validity and was made up by by NIMBY folk who just don't like the appearance. Let's have honesty. You want to hold back Industrial Development because you *might* go out for a drive and have your view "spoiled" by a pylon or Mobile phone mast.

seanaway

Bringing life to this thread on the day it arrives.

Wonder if this might come under the umbrella term of Stroke Politics?

If not, some coincidence.

A bit like Wexford VEC being made HQ of it and TWO Waterford VEC's by Minister for Irregular expenditure - Howlin

oscarBravo

seanaway wrote: »

Wonder if this might come under the umbrella term of Stroke Politics?

If not, some coincidence.

seanaway

oscarBravo wrote: »

Where's Enda Kenny from?

oscarBravo

seanaway wrote: »

Where's Enda Kenny from?

He's from Castlebar. What's your point?

seanaway

oscarBravo wrote: »

He's from Castlebar. What's your point?

You trolling then?

If not,Castlebar Co......?
Finish the line and win a Transatlantic cable for your community.(AKA Constituency)

Got it now?

oscarBravo

seanaway wrote: »

You trolling then?

If not,Castlebar Co......?
Finish the line and win a Transatlantic cable for your community.(AKA Constituency)

Got it now?

Honestly, no. Are you trying to claim that Enda Kenny personally organised a transatlantic fibre connection for purely selfish political motives?

Because that's a fairly strong contender for the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

seanaway

oscarBravo wrote: »

Honestly, no. Are you trying to claim that Enda Kenny personally organised a transatlantic fibre connection for purely selfish political motives?

Because that's a fairly strong contender for the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Well congratulations on that and I wish you best of luck when you arrive in the real world.

oscarBravo

seanaway wrote: »

Well congratulations on that and I wish you best of luck when you arrive in the real world.

This is the real world in which Enda Kenny can persuade a private company to spend $300 million on a transatlantic fibre cable for his own personal political advantage?

You're welcome to it.

seanaway

oscarBravo wrote: »

This is the real world in which Enda Kenny can persuade a private company to spend $300 million on a transatlantic fibre cable for his own personal political advantage?

You're welcome to it.

Never said anything about him persuading anyone to spend 300 million. They were going to spend it anyway.

The rest is easy enough to work out.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Please explain your crazy to us simple folk?

seanaway wrote: »

Never said anything about him persuading anyone to spend 300 million. They were going to spend it anyway.

The rest is easy enough to work out.

Westernyelp

oscarBravo wrote: »

This is the real world in which Enda Kenny can persuade a private company to spend $300 million on a transatlantic fibre cable for his own personal political advantage?

You're welcome to it.

He also personally dragged Mayo around to the West Coast just so they could land the Cable here. don't you know?

seanaway

Rodrigo Clumsy Sender wrote: »

Please explain your crazy to us simple folk?

If it needs explaining then you're too gullible to understand.

cgarvey

@seanaway, if you're not interested in serious debate (and unfounded conspiracy theories doesn't fit in to that category), then please refrain from posting.

@others, how 'bout not engaging if you find it so crazy?

Please stick to the topic, thanks!

the_syco

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0814/721144-killala-cable/

The system will enable 53.8 millisecond transfer speeds across the Atlantic when it goes live in early 2016.

The new digital infrastructure is expected to create a significant number of jobs and business opportunities in the western region.

No definite date yet, it would seem, but the timeframe is welcome.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0810/720352-cork-fibre-optic-cable/

It was announced last December that a connection from the network into Cork would be created to come ashore at Garretstown beach in Kinsale.

I wonder will we see more use of it in Cork than in Mayo?

oscarBravo

the_syco wrote: »

I wonder will we see more use of it in Cork than in Mayo?

Different cable.

the_syco

oscarBravo wrote: »

Different cable.

Ah. Sorry. Thought they were attaching a cable from the Mayo connection, and linking it to England.

I actually didn't realise there was another cable also in the works.

dubhthach

Cork cable is part of "Project Express" by Hibernia Atlantic. Cable is US <-> UK, with branch to Cork. Mayo cable is seperate project using dark fibre across Ireland (Bord Gáis and Motorway duct) to get to Dublin and onward to UK.

I'd imagine the likes of Apple's proposed Data Center in Athenry would be potential big customer for the Mayo link. After all Bord Gáis "Gaswest" project laid empty duct alongside the gas pipeline from county Galway (near Athenry) to Blacksod bay in Mayo.

Grab All Association

oscarBravo wrote: »

This is the real world in which Enda Kenny can persuade a private company to spend $300 million on a transatlantic fibre cable for his own personal political advantage?

You're welcome to it.

Probably not but 2 of the first 10 towns in Ireland Siro are rolling out in are in his constituency.

That's some coincidence.

siro.ie wrote:

The first ten towns are Cavan (Cavan), Dundalk(Louth), Westport (Mayo), Castlebar (Mayo), Sligo(Sligo), Carrigaline(Cork), Tralee(Kerry), Navan(Meath), Letterkenny(Donegal) and Wexford(Wexford).

mass_debater

Chris___ wrote: »

Probably not but 2 of the first 10 towns in Ireland Siro are rolling out in are in his constituency.

That's some coincidence.

Not really, it's a landgrab between Siro and Eircom, incidentally, Eircom will be live in Castlebar before them