New high capacity under-water cable makes waves
FirstPath had a requirement – the highest capacity underwater cable possible and Prysmian were ready.
Given the huge expense and complexity of underwater cable deployment, coupled with rising fibre demand, FirstPath needed a new underwater solution. The cable needed to be small and lightweight for easy installation but also offer the highest possible fibre capacity. Prysmian were up to the challenge. Their latest design combines Prysmian’s award-winning Bendbright-XS fibre with advanced Flextube cable technology, to create an incredibly fibre dense underwater cable.
“This installation is a major step forward for FirstPath and further expands our network infrastructure enabling us to tackle the challenges of increasing fibre demand”, says FirstPath CEO Stephen Carter. “The ability to more than double the installed fibre capacity for almost the same installation cast of the typical 312 fibre underwater cable was a very attractive offering from Prysmian. Their outside of the box thinking was a perfeet fit for our company’s needs”.
The installation presents a first for both companies. FirstPath’s first underwater cable deployment and Prysmian’s highest fibre-count underwater cable. “This innovative approach provides 720 fibre cores in the same form factor as a conventional 312 fibre solution. This lowers the total cost of ownership, providing over double the fibre capacity per cable for the same installation costs. This way we can provide even more value to our customers” says Alice Codenotti, Telecom Account Manager at Prysmian.
Prysmian has Iong been a leader in harbour-crossing cables. This latest offering pushes the boundaries of cable technology and manufacturing. The project required the collaboration of multiple R&D centres within Prysmian group. In just six months after initial consultation Prysmian were able to design, manufacture and deliver a solution to meet FirstPath’s needs. The cable was installed under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, providing two separate cross-harbour links to add to FirstPath’s ever growing fibre network.
