Fiber Optic Cable from Guantanamo Bay to South Florida

WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department wants to install a $40 million underwater fiber-optic cable from Guantanamo Bay to South Florida, an official told The Miami Herald.

The newspaper said the cable, which needs congressional approval, would be a sign the military is preparing for detentions and other operations at the Navy base for the long-term.

"It only makes sense to do if we're going to be here for any period of time," said Navy Capt. Kirk Hibbert, before the end of his two-year term as the base's commander.

Construction wouldn't start for more than a year.

The Herald said the U.S. military has told the Cuban military to expect a U.S. surveyor ship off the base's coastline this summer.

Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale said the Defense Information Systems Agency had conducted a feasibility study. The agency put the tentative price of the fiber-optic cable at $40 million, which has been included in the fiscal 2013 budget.

Data delivery for the base, which is home to the war court and the prison camps' intelligence unit, has strained communications through a satellite system and planners looked at whether to expand that system or opt for fiber optics.

Source: United Press International, Inc.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/07/05/Fiber-optic-system-eyed-for-Guantanamo-Bay/UPI-30831341537594/#ixzz1zxD7n7iL

GlobeNet and Alcatel-Lucent extend undersea cable link to Colombia

Oi subsidiary GlobeNet and Alcatel-Lucent extend undersea cable link to Colombia to address fast-growing demand for broadband services    100G-capable extension will create a link with direct connectivity between Colombia and the United States, and from Colombia to Venezuela helping GlobeNet meet customer demand and expand its footprint   Paris, June 29, 2012 - GlobeNet, Oi's international subsidiary provider of submarine capacity, and  Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) have signed a contract to extend the GlobeNet submarine cable system to Colombia, supporting the exploding demand for broadband services between Colombia, the United States, and other Latin American countries. This 100 Gigabit per second (100G) capable link will help GlobeNet provide a significant increase in capacity to support the deployment of next-generation wireless services and support the exploding demand for broadband services such as streaming media, online gaming, high-definition video and social media applications. This 1000km extension will create a link with direct connectivity between Colombia and the United States, and between Colombia and Venezuela. It will have a state-of-the-art design that provides the capability of supporting a future ultimate design capacity in excess of 8 Tbit/s on each connectivity path. The GlobeNet submarine cable system currently spans 22,000 kilometers with landing points in Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza in Brazil, Maiquetía in Venezuela, St. David’s in Bermuda, Boca Raton Florida and Tuckerton in New Jersey, United States. With this extension which will land in Colombia’s Atlantic coast, GlobeNet further positions to offer ultra-fast low latency services on both protected routes between the United States and Latin America. Erick W. Contag, Chief Operating Officer at GlobeNet, said: “GlobeNet is committed to meeting the need for high-quality capacity to offer an improved experience for all of our customers. Our collaboration with Alcatel-Lucent is based on our confidence in the low latency, reliability and speed of their solution, as well as their ability to seamlessly and efficiently introduce this extension to Colombia while maintaining all our existing network services.” Philippe Dumont, President Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said: “We arepleased to be selected by GlobeNetto expand their network and deliver the capacity to support the hunger for exciting new applications and services to Colombia. This project further highlights our leadership in the development of powerful, cost-effective submarine networks, and the importance Alcatel-Lucent plays in realizing the potential of a connected world, keeping customers’ costs in check” The Alcatel-Lucent solution deployed for this project includes an integrated 100G capable wet plant of cable and high bandwidth repeaters, power feed equipment, and its 1620 Light Manager (LM) submarine line terminal equipped with advanced coherent technology and offering unique flexibility to increase direct connectivity between countries. Designed to accommodate 10G/40G/100G wavelengths in the same platform, the Alcatel-Lucent 1620 LM enables seamless capacity upgrade on flexible grid for channel spacing without traffic interruption. About GlobeNet GlobeNet provides International capacity between North and South America over a dual ring-protected submarine cable system serving Brazil, Bermuda, Colombia, the U.S.A., and Venezuela. Covering a distance of more than 22,000 kilometers, this sophisticated submarine cable network system is fully redundant and offers the lowest latency available between the Americas. The network links cable landing stations in Tuckerton, NJ and Boca Raton, FL, USA, with cable landing stations in Fortaleza (CE) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil, St. David’s, Bermuda as well as Maiquetía (Caracas) Venezuela. GlobeNet is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brazilian full-service telecommunications provider Oi. About Oi Oi is a pioneer company in the provision of bundled services in Brazil. A Oi offers local and long-distance voice transmission, mobile telephony, broadband and pay TV.  In March 2012, the company had 70,8 million revenue generating units (RGUs). This total includes 44.1 million in personal mobile segment, 18.6 million in residential segment and 8.1 million in business/corporate segment. For the fourth consecutive year, Oi is part of the ISE - Corporate Sustainability Index portfolio of the BM&F BOVESPA, reflecting the company’s commitment to social responsibility and corporate sustainability. For the second consecutive year, Oi is also part of the IC02 — Carbon Efficiency Index — of the BM&F Bovespa. About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field of networking and communications technology, products and services. The company is home to Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost research centers, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry. Alcatel-Lucent was named one of MIT Technology Review's 2012 Top 50 list of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" for breakthroughs such as lightRadio™, which cuts power consumption and operating costs on wireless networks while delivering lightning fast Internet access. Through such innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission - Realizing the Potential of a Connected World. With operations in more than 130 countries and one of the most experienced global services organizations in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 15.3 billion in 2011 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.