TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity company, and Georgian telecommunications provider Caucasus Online have signed a contract to upgrade the Caucasus undersea cable system.

The upgrade to the 1,200 km regional system is set to be completed in May 2016.

Caucasus cable system provides connectivity between Poti, Georgia and Balchik, Bulgaria, and serves Georgian markets by providing direct access to Western Europe.

Utilizing TE SubCom’s 100 Gb/s technology, the system can now support over 9 Tb/s, more than seven times the initial design capacity. This latest upgrade will increase lit capacity to 780 Gb/s, the company explained.

“As the project supplier for both the full system construction and previous upgrades, we greatly value Caucasus Online’s confidence in TE SubCom,” said Aaron Stucki, president, TE SubCom. “We look forward to continuing our support of this essential cable route by providing state-of-the-art technology that enables Caucasus Online to bring high-volume capacity to its customers.”

“Our system has proven vital to achieving connectivity throughout the Caucasus region, and a network upgrade will only improve our service offerings,” said Nikolai Tchiaureli, CEO, Caucasus Online. “TE SubCom’s familiarity with the system will bring with it a seamless capacity increase, and we’re pleased to continue our longtime collaboration with them.”