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AquaComms, a provider of subsea network solutions, has brought its contract into force (CIF) with TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity company and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology which has begun manufacturing on the America Europe Connect (AEConnect) subsea cable system.

AEConnect is scheduled to be ready for service in December 2015, as the latest transatlantic subsea fiber optic cable system connecting North America to Europe with unprecedented capacity and reliability.

AEConnect will land in Shirley, NY and Killala on the West Coast of Ireland, spanning more than 5,400 km with stubbed branching units for future landings, and will use CeltixConnect, an Irish Sea subsea cable wholly owned by AquaComms, to provide extended connectivity to London and greater Europe.

AEConnect is a product of partnerships with TE SubCom and key customers. The initial project cost is expected to be $300 million and is funded in part through a debt offering arranged by Nomura.

“AquaComms’ strategy is to build and operate a diversified, solution-based network, providing term and peak capacity product offerings and working in partnership with its contractors, equipment suppliers, backhaul network providers and customers to support the US’s and Europe’s expanding data requirements of today and for tomorrow, ultimately offering ‘infrastructure-as-a-service’,” says Greg Varisco, COO of AquaComms. “AEConnect is currently being constructed using state-of-the-art technology, with 100G-coherent design for low latency, reliable delivery for even the most bandwidth-hungry applications and direct data centre to data centre connectivity across the Atlantic.”

“With explosive data growth comes significant demand for SubCom’s capabilities,” said Aaron Stucki, CEO of TE SubCom. “The AEConnect cable system will provide the infrastructure necessary to support Europe’s expanding data needs and we look forward to working with AquaComms on their future builds.”