It would seem that we can continue the graph for Neptune s Law for the moment, and that will give our engineers of the present and future time to create the next generation of submarine cable innovation.
It s clear that bandwidth demand will continue to increase exponentially. Optical transport capacity must scale to meet this demand, while at the same time the cost-per- bit must decrease, and optical transport equipment must become more space- and power-efficient.
The next 50 years of optical communications will most likely be dedicated to addressing key fundamental challenges to make the optical expansion more efficient and practical, and to make these predictions even riskier (and more fun).
Also in today s EMEA regional roundup: Fastweb taps Amdocs for network inventory upgrade; MTN seeks $5 billion valuation of mobile money unit ahead of stake sale; A1 Telekom Austria brings your package inside.
Telecom Italia (TIM) is congratulating itself on completing its fiber rollout in the north-east Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, using a mix of FTTC, FTTH, FWA and satellite technologies. Those households and businesses connected to FTTH will enjoy downlink speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s; up 200 Mbit/s must suffice for those on FTTC. Across the country, says the operator, TIM s fiber network is now available to 92% of those households that use the fixed network. Earlier this month TIM announced the completion of shareholder agreements with KKR Infrastructure and Swisscom-owned Fastweb that, in theory at least, allow FiberCop, Italy s last-mile network grid, to commence operations. (See FiberCop is go after KKR and Fastweb firm up stakes and Italy s TIM seeks co-investors to
Orange Poland has announced a partnership with Dutch pension fund APG that aims to speed the rollout and reduce the cost of its fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network throughout the country.
The operator, which is majority owned by France-based Orange, said it has created a 50:50 joint venture called FiberCo with APG, which is the asset management division of ABP.
The new JV will take over 2.4 million connections, including 1.7 million households that are set to be passed by the network in the next five years.
The remaining connections are to be contributed by Orange Poland, which covered 5 million households with its fiber network at the end of 2020.