Go's second submarine cable project linking Malta to Sicily via an independent route is "on track" as per plans and is scheduled to be up and running by the end of this year, Go chief executive officer David Kay said. This will place Go in an enviable position of being the only local communications provider to own and run two international submarine cables, thus ensuring maximum resilience and redundancy for its customers.
Speaking to The Times Business , Mr Kay said that the necessary permits for the projects were approved recently and this effectively means that the laying of the cable can start in a few weeks' time.
Go's second cable infrastructure will be connected to one of the world's major broadband backbones operated by Interoute. Thanks to Interoute's extensive network all over Europe and beyond, Go's flexibility in routing its international voice and data traffic via a multitude of options will be considerable - thus providing the value-added resources required by local and international customers.
"This is a very exciting project which we embarked on more than a year ago. A considerable amount of work has already been completed at the St Paul's Bay exchange, where the second cable will be landing. We are now in a position to start works underwater together with our international partners and we estimate the project will be completed by the end of this year, as we had originally announced in January," Mr Kay said.
Go's multi-million euro investment in a second submarine cable linking Malta to Italy will connect to Interoute's pan-European network which connects 85 cities in 22 countries across 54,000 cable kilometres of fibre. The submarine cable project, known as Go-1 Mediterranean Cable System has been entrusted to an international consortium made up of Alcatel-Lucent and Elettra.
The cable will be 290 kilometres long and will have four fibre pairs. The DWDM terminal equipment will initially be equipped for two wavelengths at 10 Gbit/s each. Compared to the 2.5 Gbit/s currently available on the existing cable, this will augment the available capacity eight times.
"Currently, Go's submarine cable connects with Telecom Italia and the cable lands in Catania. The second cable will be landing in Mazara del Vallo in Sicily and will link to Interoute," said Go's chief technology officer Joseph Bugeja.
"The new submarine cable will augment Go's international capacity and cater for projected demands for broadband services which will be increasing in the coming future. Moreover, it will give Go the possibility to procure broadband capacity from Interoute," he said.
Mr Kay said: "In practical terms this means Go now possesses world-class connectivity, which in turn allows us to provide services to the most demanding clients. Once the second cable is deployed, Malta will have a first-class communication backbone which serves the needs of the islands for the present and future."
Alcatel-Lucent is responsible for designing, manufacturing and commissioning the submarine cable system, based on its dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology and cables, with the ability to be upgraded easily and cost-effectively in the future. Elettra has already conducted the marine survey and will be laying the cable. Elettra is a Telecom Italia Group company which specialises in survey, installation and maintenance of submarine cable networks.
Interoute's network is the largest in Europe today, offering unparalleled homogeneity, reach and capacity. The company's fibre optic network consists of 12 rings connecting 85 cities in 22 countries across 54,000+ route kilometres of lit fibre and has the capacity to carry a petabit (a billion megabits per second) of traffic.
Earlier this year, during the launch of the submarine cable project, Interoute's country manager for Italy and the Mediterranean, Renzo Ravaglia said: "Interoute is pleased to be a part of this historic venture, made possible through the EIT/Dubai partnership. With this cable, Go and Interoute will open up opportunities for Malta in the European Union, North America, the Middle East and beyond. It will physically link Malta directly into Europe's largest communications platform, making access to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome almost as easy as connecting Valletta and Gozo."
Speaking to The Times Business , Mr Kay said that the necessary permits for the projects were approved recently and this effectively means that the laying of the cable can start in a few weeks' time.
Go's second cable infrastructure will be connected to one of the world's major broadband backbones operated by Interoute. Thanks to Interoute's extensive network all over Europe and beyond, Go's flexibility in routing its international voice and data traffic via a multitude of options will be considerable - thus providing the value-added resources required by local and international customers.
"This is a very exciting project which we embarked on more than a year ago. A considerable amount of work has already been completed at the St Paul's Bay exchange, where the second cable will be landing. We are now in a position to start works underwater together with our international partners and we estimate the project will be completed by the end of this year, as we had originally announced in January," Mr Kay said.
Go's multi-million euro investment in a second submarine cable linking Malta to Italy will connect to Interoute's pan-European network which connects 85 cities in 22 countries across 54,000 cable kilometres of fibre. The submarine cable project, known as Go-1 Mediterranean Cable System has been entrusted to an international consortium made up of Alcatel-Lucent and Elettra.
The cable will be 290 kilometres long and will have four fibre pairs. The DWDM terminal equipment will initially be equipped for two wavelengths at 10 Gbit/s each. Compared to the 2.5 Gbit/s currently available on the existing cable, this will augment the available capacity eight times.
"Currently, Go's submarine cable connects with Telecom Italia and the cable lands in Catania. The second cable will be landing in Mazara del Vallo in Sicily and will link to Interoute," said Go's chief technology officer Joseph Bugeja.
"The new submarine cable will augment Go's international capacity and cater for projected demands for broadband services which will be increasing in the coming future. Moreover, it will give Go the possibility to procure broadband capacity from Interoute," he said.
Mr Kay said: "In practical terms this means Go now possesses world-class connectivity, which in turn allows us to provide services to the most demanding clients. Once the second cable is deployed, Malta will have a first-class communication backbone which serves the needs of the islands for the present and future."
Alcatel-Lucent is responsible for designing, manufacturing and commissioning the submarine cable system, based on its dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology and cables, with the ability to be upgraded easily and cost-effectively in the future. Elettra has already conducted the marine survey and will be laying the cable. Elettra is a Telecom Italia Group company which specialises in survey, installation and maintenance of submarine cable networks.
Interoute's network is the largest in Europe today, offering unparalleled homogeneity, reach and capacity. The company's fibre optic network consists of 12 rings connecting 85 cities in 22 countries across 54,000+ route kilometres of lit fibre and has the capacity to carry a petabit (a billion megabits per second) of traffic.
Earlier this year, during the launch of the submarine cable project, Interoute's country manager for Italy and the Mediterranean, Renzo Ravaglia said: "Interoute is pleased to be a part of this historic venture, made possible through the EIT/Dubai partnership. With this cable, Go and Interoute will open up opportunities for Malta in the European Union, North America, the Middle East and beyond. It will physically link Malta directly into Europe's largest communications platform, making access to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome almost as easy as connecting Valletta and Gozo."