Google Is Backing a New $300 Million High-Speed Internet Trans-Pacific Cable 135
An anonymous reader writes Google has announced it is backing plans to build and operate a new high-speed internet Trans-Pacific cable system called "FASTER." In addition to Google, the $300 million project will be jointly managed by China Mobile International, China Telecom Global, Global Transit, KDDI, and SingTel, with NEC as the system supplier. FASTER will feature the latest high-quality 6-fiber-pair cable and optical transmission technologies. The initial design capacity is expected to be 60Tb/s (100Gb/s x 100 wavelengths x 6 fiber-pairs), connecting the US with two locations in Japan.
Re:Big Challenge (Score:3, Informative)
Re: Isn't this pointless? (Score:3, Informative)
Those were 1Gb/s, these are 100Gbs with 100 WDM. Suitable for linking data centers, not just offices
Re:Only 6 pairs? (Score:5, Informative)
The limitation is in the amplifier equipment in the festoons on the ocean floor. In terrestrial cables we don't have that limitation and you'll frequently see 288 count cables on long-haul routes and 48 count cables going through neighborhoods and subdivisions.
Re: Isn't this pointless? (Score:4, Informative)
Transoceanic cables have repeaters positioned along their length. They can't be upgraded to newer tech without help from the US Navy.
Re: Isn't this pointless? (Score:5, Informative)
No, because those submarine cables also include the amplifiers/regenerators spaced out across the ocean floor which aren't compatible with the slick new coherent optics. Most of the old ones are hardwired to regenerate Sonet framed signals.
Re:Only 6 pairs? (Score:4, Informative)
They use optical amplifiers. The signal stays in optical form, and is guided through a special section of fiber. A laser pumps energy into that fiber section, some of that energy ends up amplifying the signal. So it still needs power to drive the laser.
Re:Only 6 pairs? (Score:5, Informative)
Delivered through a system as practical as it is insane-sounding: There's one power cable, doubling as an armor layer. The station at one end drives it +lotsofvolts relative to ground, the other drives it -lotsofvolts. All those amplifiers are hooked up in series.