Broadband Revolution Set to Heat Up

8 May 2001
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM SOUTHERN CROSS CABLE NETWORK

Broadband Revolution Set to Heat Up as Southern Cross Trebles On-Stream Capacity

Southern Cross Cable Network is set to add fuel to Australasia's broadband revolution next Tuesday (15 May) when its first in-service capacity upgrade increases on-stream protected capacity to 60 gigabits per second (Gbit/s).

The 30,500km trans-Pacific cable system, which entered into service on 15 November last year, is currently operating at 20 Gbit/s.

"This upgrade was brought forward from end-2001 but still could not have come soon enough," says Ross Pfeffer, Director Asia Pacific Market for Southern Cross Cable Network. "The capacity currently on-stream has been insufficient to satisfy customer demand, so this upgrade will come as a big relief to Australasian internet service providers."

"Australasians are extremely enthusiastic about broadband internet, but that requires large amounts of bandwidth, both to the home and across the ocean to the United States."

With 60Gbit/s of protected capacity, Southern Cross now dwarfs Australasia's existing cable links via PacRim (1 Gbit/s protected) and SE-ME-WE-3 (20 Gbit/s unprotected), and the company is set to make a further upgrade later this year.

"Our next upgrade in September this year will take Southern Cross to 80 Gbit/s of protected capacity. We will then upgrade the network to 240 Gbit/s in 2002, with the potential to increase total protected network capacity to 480 Gbit/s at a later date," says Mr Pfeffer.

"Both large amounts of trans-Pacific bandwidth and local broadband access are needed to make the broadband experience a reality for Australasian internet users. Southern Cross will continue to do everything possible to make this a reality by bringing as much bandwidth online as soon as possible."

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For further information contact: Philip Clark Media Contact Southern Cross Cable Network Tel +61-401-108-317 philip@svl.co.nz

www.southerncrosscables.com

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