News
Australian subsea cable company SubCo has announced an upgrade to the capacity of its SMAP subsea cable system that connects Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth (S-M-A-P)
The cable spans roughly 5,000km, was supplied by Alcatel Submarine Networks, and was installed by Optic Marine Systems.
SMAP was originally designed with twelve fibre pairs, but SubCo has now upgraded the system to a sixteen fibre pairs, increasing the total capacity of the system by 33%.
“This increased investment in capacity is to ensure we are able to support Australia’s digital infrastructure needs both now, and in the future,” said SUBCO Co-CEO Bevan Slattery in a press release.
“AI and Cloud are driving the accelerating expansion of hyperscale Data Centres throughout the region, which is driving an increase in demand for hyperscale connectivity. This upgrade will provide for an additional 100Tbps between Melbourne and Perth and 120Tbps between Sydney and Melbourne,” he continued.
Once completed, SMAP is set to be the world’s first zero carbon long haul subsea cable system, which the SubCo says it will achieve by purchasing renewable infrastructure at every landing station and buying 100% renewable energy.
Slattery said in a separate statement last August that once operational “SMAP will be the most advanced, secure and innovative submarine cable ever built in Australia.”
The cable is expected to be ready for service by December next year.
According to SubCo’s website, the cable is on day 274 of the build, and is 24% complete.
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