In this roundup, GTT takes initial steps toward upgrading its global IP network to 400G, while Telstra and SCCN link Australia and the US with a direct subsea cable.

GTT upgrades to 400G

GTT is gearing up for the first phase of a 400G upgrade to its global Tier 1 IP network. The service provider plans to complete the initial phase of the update by the second half of 2023.

The company is utilizing Juniper's IP network technology and says the upgrade will support a double-digit increase in IP traffic and provide higher-capacity options for GTT's Internet and WAN services.

According to research firm TeleGeography, 71% of service providers increased their purchases of IP transit in 2021, and international peak Internet traffic is estimated to have nearly doubled between 2019 and 2021.

GTT's upgrade will start in metro areas and eventually cover the company's core IP switching and routing service area of six continents and 260 cities. GTT says its IP backbone operates with over 240 Tbit/s of core capacity.

In addition, the 400G upgrade will be deployed across multiple network layers including core IP backbone, metro extensions and customer service nodes.

Figure 1: (Source: creativep/Alamy Stock Photo)

Telstra and SCCN connect Sydney to Los Angeles

Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN) is deploying a 15,857km subsea cable connecting Australia and the US. It will deliver 72 Tbit/s of capacity and will be available for service starting July 2022.

Telstra is a 25% shareholder of SCCN, which owns the cable. Telstra claims that Southern Cross (SX) NEXT is the first single span express cable and first direct cable connecting Australia and the US.

SX NEXT also has branching units to connect the Pacific Islands of Fiji, Kiribati and Tokelau. Telstra says this is the only cable with landing stations in Tokelau and Kiribati.

"With the rise of cloud-based services and hybrid remote working models, connectivity with diversity and reliability is more critical than ever to ensure constant uptime and uninterrupted services," said Oliver Camplin-Warner, CEO of Telstra International, in a statement.

SX NEXT has a four-fiber pair cable system and utilizes up to 400G Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology. Of the 12 international submarine cables connecting Australia to the rest of the world, the SX NEXT cable will be the third SCCN cable. SX NEXT complements the Southern Cross and Endeavor-AAG cable systems in connecting Australia and the US, according to Telstra.

— Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, Senior Editor, Light Reading