Columbus Networks & Xtera Communications First to Release 100G in Pan-American Caribbean Region

Columbus Networks recently bolstered its network capacity in Panama by deploying an optical ring network between Maria Chiquita and Plaza Obario, Panama City, utilizing Xtera's Nu-Wave Optima(TM) platform to provide a diverse routing of services from Panama to Columbus Networks' international fiber optic backbone. By upgrading the network to include 100G optical channel technology from Xtera, Columbus Networks reinforces its commitment to use the latest technology not only to support today's services, but also to attract customers and introduce new services to the region.

The upgrade enables new revenue opportunities in a cost-effective way in meeting increased demands from emerging cloud services, data center operations and other high-capacity content distribution services. "The global build-out of data centers, coupled with rapid deployment of cloud based services, are driving renewed demand for ever higher fixed and burst rate connections and emphasis on high availability through redundancy," said Peter Collins, Chief Technology Officer at Columbus Networks. "Our goal is to proactively prepare our networks with the right technology to efficiently address both today's, and tomorrow's evolving business needs."

"Our Panama Network uses the latest Nu-Wave Optima(TM) DWDM platform from Xtera and we noticed they have been very active in the deployment of 100G networks around the world," offered Peter Collins. "Thus, it was natural for us to turn to them to gain experience with the technology."

Being the first and only 100G equipment in the field since the second half of 2011 with soft-decision Forward Error Correction (FEC), Xtera's Nu-Wave Optima(TM) offers the industry's most advanced 100G solution that is available today for multiple optical networking applications. For terrestrial backbone networks, the Nu-Wave Optima(TM) equipment delivers an unrivalled line capacity of 15 Tb/s on more than 3,000 km. For unrepeatered applications, a capacity of 34 x 100G was recently transmitted over a cable attenuation exceeding 74 dB.

The proven Nu-Wave Optima(TM) multi-purpose platform offers unparalleled 100G WDM performance in real network conditions based on the combination of the industry's most powerful 100G technology and unique line equipment to face different span configurations. Some examples include:
       
        --  A N x 100G 1,350-km route including a 250-km / 60-dB span;
        --  The longest N x 100G all-optical link ever deployed with a reach of
            2,500 km, including 24 spans, and going through 9 ROADMS; and
        --  7 Tb/s per fiber pair on a 350-km / 65.5-dB unrepeatered link.
       
In addition to unrivalled transmission performance, the Nu-Wave Optima(TM) platform achieved the following industry's firsts:
       
        --  First soft-decision FEC in the field in 2011;
        --  Widest world's 100G deployment (CFE Telecom's 22,000-km backbone
            network in 2011); and
        --  First 100G repeatered subsea cable system to be put in commercial
            service (first quarter of 2012 with Gulf Bridge International).
       
"Today, 100G technology offers a compelling combination of performance and price for efficient high-capacity optical networking," reported Herve Fevrier, EVP and COO of Xtera. "We were more than happy to introduce the technology to the region and support Columbus Networks."