US Department of Defense Awards Xtera Subsea Cable Gig

Xtera Communications, Inc., a leading global provider of submarine optical networking cable systems, has been awarded a contract on a turnkey basis by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), an agency of the US Department of Defense, to build a new undersea fiber optic cable system to be performed in the Southern Command area of responsibility.

The cable system is approximately 1,500 km long and will enable connectivity to the Defense Information System Network (DISN) via fiber optic technology.

Xtera will supply its turnkey 100G optimized submarine system solution for this project, including undersea optical repeaters, Nu-Wave Optima™ Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE), cable and all marine services. Xtera’s new undersea repeaters are unique in using Raman optical amplification to produce very low noise levels and thus allow the distance between repeaters to be maximized. Xtera’s 100G SLTE technology, launching multiple 100G wavelengths into the optical fiber for high total throughput, is well established, with its first deployment on a submarine system in early 2012.

“We are delighted to be selected by DISA to build this new submarine cable system as a further validation of our offering of high-performance and higher-value turnkey solutions with our next generation repeater,” said Jon Hopper, President and Chief Executive Officer of Xtera. “This new project is a further step forward in the execution of Xtera’s strategy to expand our solution portfolio for the subsea segment with innovative and reliable offerings.”

Backed by 10 years of experience in long-haul optical transmission and subsea cable project management, Xtera offers complete turnkey solutions for the construction of new submarine cable systems including supply and installation of the submerged infrastructure. This turnkey offering also includes the recovery and redeployment of existing submarine cable systems. With deployments across five continents, Xtera helps its customers expand and accelerate their market reach with new deployments and extend the life of existing network assets with cost-effective upgrades.