Press Release

Amitié increases the reliability and diversity of subsea cable routes between North America and Europe

Aqua Comms, Meta, Microsoft, and Vodafone announced today the completion of the Amitié subsea cable system, the first to directly connect Boston to Europe and Bordeaux to North America. The 6,783 km (4,215 miles) trans-Atlantic system, which was built by Alcatel Submarine Networks, has landings in Lynn, Massachusetts; Widemouth Bay, England; and Le Porge, France. With 16 fiber pairs and 400 Tbps, Amitié is the highest capacity transoceanic communications cable ever deployed.

The design of the system brings all users additional connectivity options in the United States, the UK, and in France. Boston will have direct connection all the way to London and a new Carrier Neutral Data Center constructed in Bordeaux. This delivers improved reliability in terms of protected capacity on multiple diverse routes.

The system includes an innovative branching unit 860 km from France and 650 km from the UK. This device allows the owners to switch either individual optical wavelengths between different landings or the full fiber capacity via two different types of switching technologies.

Andy Hudson, Chief Network Officer, Aqua Comms, said: “Amitié, branded as AEC-3 on Aqua Comms’ network, adds a third high-capacity system to our transatlantic footprint offering enhanced diversity in both the US and Europe and delivering the latest technology to our customers.”

Gary Waterworth, Investment Manager, Meta said: “Amitié will increase telecommunications reliability, speed, and diversity of subsea cable routes between the continents helping to improve transmission capacity in North America and Europe. It’s a great example of tech and telecom companies collaborating to build digital infrastructure to benefit the countless people, businesses, and organizations who rely on global connectivity.”

Frank Rey, General Manager, Azure Networking at Microsoft said: “As public and private sectors deepen their reliance on cloud technologies for economic growth and service improvement, Amitié will advance both resiliency and capacity for customers using our cloud services.”

Fanan Henriques, Director, Vodafone Business International & EU-Cluster, said: “As a significant investor in submarine cables, Vodafone was able to bring its strong heritage and extensive expertise to the partnership. With transatlantic total bandwidth growth forecasted to increase six-fold over the next five years, it is essential that we keep our customers, partners and communities connected to vital services enabling the digital economy. The completion of the Amitié subsea cable will strengthen connectivity and add resilience between the U.S., France and the UK.”

Previous studies have shown that subsea cables can have a positive impact on national and regional economies. Subsea cables such as the Amitié cable can spur the development of terrestrial fiber and local economic growth. For example, according to RTI International, Meta’s and Microsoft’s investment in Marea, another high capacity transoceanic cable, has been contributing about $18 billion annually to Europe’s economy since 2019.

Amitié is now fully commissioned and tested and was handed over to Aqua Comms, Meta, Microsoft, and Vodafone on July 16, 2023. The system was constructed under a Joint Build Agreement between the four partners, who worked together in close cooperation with the supplier and the landing providers.

Keep up to date with all of the latest developments in the submarine cable industry at the world’s largest subsea cable event, Submarine Networks EMEA

Also in the news:
EU and Japan sign deals for subsea cables and semiconductors
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Ofcom probes VMO2 as customers complain about contract cancellation

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Press Release

Wind River®, a global leader in delivering software for mission-critical intelligent systems, today announced that VxWorks® is used in the On-Board Computer (OBC) to command the Astroscale ELSA-M Servicer spacecraft.

Astroscale develops innovative solutions to create sustainable space systems and mitigate the growing and hazardous buildup of debris in space. Astroscale’s End-of-Life service line (ELSA-M) provides a space debris solution to safely and responsibly capture and retire multiple satellites in one mission.

“Astroscale is addressing the hazardous matter of space debris, and we’re proud to help them advance their mission to develop sustainable space programs,” said Avijit Sinha, chief product officer, Wind River. “Our industry-leading technology demonstrates the continuing Wind River leadership in real-time software solutions for mission-critical systems. For decades, Wind River has successfully supported complex space missions and helped customers navigate the unique challenges of these programs.”

“Our ELSA-M service strives to solve satellite operators’ end-of-life disposal challenges. With increasing regulatory, industry, and public pressure to prioritize space sustainability, Astroscale’s ELSA-M service presents a proactive way for satellite operators to protect the orbital environment and the services that they offer,” said Stephen Wokes, director of engineering, Astroscale Ltd. “The extremely complex rendezvous operations require the highest levels of precision, quality robotics, and onboard systems for successful maneuvering and capture, making it imperative to work with proven technology such as that from Wind River as our software foundation.”

The OBC will support the rendezvous between Astroscale’s servicer spacecraft and the client satellite. Astroscale’s software applications on VxWorks are responsible for the computer vision processing for the computer system that will command ELSA-M. A high level of precision is needed for robotic operations, including maneuvers during rendezvous between the ELSA-M servicer and retired satellites.

An in-orbit demonstration (IOD) mission to capture an inactive satellite is anticipated to launch in 2025. This will be the first time a commercial active debris removal (ADR) satellite will complete the end-to-end operations of a removal service with a full-sized and fully representative client satellite. The mission is part of Astroscale’s partnership with OneWeb and the European Space Agency (ESA).

VxWorks delivers unrivaled deterministic high performance and sets the standard for a scalable, future-proof, safe, secure, and reliable operating environment for running mission-critical computing systems that demand the highest standards. For more than three decades, Wind River has delivered the most proven software platform to bring dozens of intelligent systems to space, resulting in some of the most significant space missions in history.

Want to keep up with all of the latest telecoms news from around the world? Sign up to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter

Also in the news:
EU and Japan sign deals for subsea cables and semiconductors
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Ofcom probes VMO2 as customers complain about contract cancellation

News

A new report from think the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) suggests that lesser federal broadband subsidies should be cancelled, with funding used to support the Affordable Connectivity Programme (ACP)

This week, the ITIF is calling on the US government to consider cancelling several ‘redundant’ broadband programmes to instead use their funding to support the ACP.

The report suggests that the ACP should “become the premier federal broadband program” due to its flexibility and direct support of low-income households but warns that the current funding will soon fall short of the total demand.

The Affordable Connectivity Programme (ACP) is the US government’s “largest-ever broadband affordability effort”, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a long-term $17 billion plan to support eligible low- income households afford access to the internet.

The ACP offers these households discounts of up to $30 per month on their internet service bills, or up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. The project also provides one-time discounts of up to $100 to help disconnected families purchase a laptop, desktop, or tablet.

The funding comes as part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law by the Biden administration in November 2021.

At this year’s Connected America conference in March, the FCC’s Press Secretary, Paloma Perez, gave an update on the recently-awarded ACP funding, saying 17 million homes had been enrolled nationwide.

Since then, this number has increased to almost 20 million, but many millions of eligible households still have not signed up, with the FCC estimating that in total 50 million homes could qualify for discounts across the country.

To make matters worse, according to estimates based on data from apcdashboard.com, the roughly $17 billion appropriated for the programme in 2021 will likely run out during 2024.

The ITIF estimates that the ACP will require between $5 billion and $6 billion a year to remain effective.

But where can the government find this funding?

According to the ITIF, the solution lies in streamlining the highly convoluted broadband subsidy landscape, particularly scrapping programmes that are becoming obsolete as a result of more modern programmes, such as the ACP itself and the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding programme.

The report argues that the FCC’s Lifeline programme, which also provides discounts for low-income families, is outdated and should be scrapped in favour of the ACP. The report further suggests that the FCC’s Universal Service Fund High Cost programme and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect programme can also be cannibalised to fund the ACP, having been made redundant by the more effective (BEAD) programme.

Combined, reallocating the funding from these three programmes should provide roughly $6.43 billion, enough to sustain the ACP.

“Federal broadband programs are dangerously out of balance,” said Joe Kane, director of broadband and spectrum policy at ITIF and author of the report. “Congress has created effective subsidy programs that render older programs duplicative and wasteful. Yet the old programs persist, siphoning funding away from more effective ones and increasing phone bills.”

But while reallocating funding from these older projects could be a fine way to extend the lifetime and impact of the ACP, it is important to remember that funding is not everything. As the report points out, the digital divide in the US not only relates to lack of access to affordable connectivity, but also to digital literacy.

“If its funding is secured and made sustainable, the ACP is the best policy tool available to defray the cost of Internet subscriptions and connected devices,” said the ITIF report. “Once this relatively low-hanging policy fruit has been picked, broadband policy is not finished. Remaining offline groups will require different kinds of help to achieve full digital inclusion.”

Want to learn more about how government funding is transforming the connectivity landscape in the US? Join the digital ecosystem in discussion at this year’s Connected America

Also in the news:
EU and Japan sign deals for subsea cables and semiconductors
Home Office lambasted over Emergency Services Network delays
Ofcom probes VMO2 as customers complain about contract cancellation