Alcatel-Lucent and Cinia Group, previously Corenet, the Finnish Government-owned venture, will deploy an undersea cable system that will provide the first direct cable link between the Nordic region and continental Europe.
The project, named Sea Lion, calls for the deployment of a new 100G system that will span more than 1,100 km from Helsinki in Finland, to the Rostock-Ribnitz area in Germany.
Expected to be completed in early 2016, the system will play a critical role in strengthening the provision of reliable and secure ultra-broadband connectivity for cloud and data center applications. According to the Cinia Group’s own analysis, cloud services are expected to grow annually by approximately 40% on a global basis, with the volume of telecommunications data expected to triple by 2017.
Designed with an ultimate capacity of 15 Terabit per second (Tbit/s), Sea Lion is part of the Finnish Government’s strategic plan to enhance the country’s international data transfer capacity. The data will be then transported across the country through the Finnish fiber-optic network running along the national rail infrastructure.
Jukka-Pekka Joensuu , Executive Vice-President of the Cinia Group, said: “Broadband connectivity is a major growth opportunity for the foreseeable future and the development of a robust telecommunication infrastructure is vital. We are pleased to begin our cooperation with Alcatel-Lucent on this significant project for Finland, contributing to strengthen its position as a leading country in data centre investments, as well as promoting innovation and increased connectivity to a growth path for the Finnish and European economy.”
Philippe Dumont , President of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said: “We are delighted to support the Cinia Group in its rollout of this new cable system, which will be a catalyst to strengthen global digital connectivity. Alcatel-Lucent’s 100G undersea technology will boost the speed and security of Finland’s infrastructure, building a strong digital cluster for data center connections.”