Demand for secure, fast and expansive international data transmission capacity continues to grow.
The Need.
The demand for secure, fast and expansive international data transmission capacity continues to grow. Annual global IP traffic will reach 4.8 zettabytes (ZB - one billion terabytes) per year by 2022, or 400 million terabytes (TB) per month. In 2017, the annual run rate for global IP traffic was 1.5 ZB per year, or 122 million TB per month. [1]
Fueled by 5G, massive Internet of Things (IoT) adoption will connect billions of devices and interact with them to gather vast amounts of data, with transformative potential in the broadcast and media industry, education, engineering, science, healthcare, automotive and many other sectors. [2]
At the same time, many existing trans-ocean fiber optic systems are reaching the end of their design lives of about 25 years. And these legacy systems are not capable of using advances in transmission equipment that have expanded the carrying capacity of a fiber pair from the 4 to 5 Tbps possible when the cables were first installed, to 20-40 Tbps now. [3]
Now seasonally ice-free passages through Arctic seas make shorter, lower-latency and highly robust fiber optic routes available to diversely link northern telecom hubs and cable infrastructure.
[1] 1. Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Trends, 2017–2022. November 26, 2018
[2] Latest break throughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will exponentially drive demand for data transmission throughput and speed. Asian markets are projected to outpace Silicone valley in the next 5-10 years in demand for AI data.
[3] Latency and the speed to financial markets, ten years ago, one estimate put the value of each millisecond of latency in high-frequency financial trading at over $100 million revenue per year.
Far North Fiber Express Route.
Far North Digital, True North Global Networks, and Cinia are constructing the pan-Arctic Far North Fiber, which will be the first ever long-haul submarine fiber route through the Arctic Ocean from Asia to Europe via the Northwest Passage.
Far North Fiber project is a 14,000 km (Japan to Europe) subsea fiber optic cable system with landings in United States, Canada, and dual landings in Japan and Europe (Norway/Finland and Ireland).
FNF follows an approximately great circle marine route greatly reducing the optical distance between Asia and Europe, thus minimizing signal latency.
FNF significantly cuts the number of network elements encountered on existing combinations of marine and terrestrial routes crossing Eurasia or the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean.
Providing Robust Connectivity to the Canadian Arctic
True North Global Networks LP, a Canadian affiliate of Far North Digital, is committed to engagement with Indigenous organizations and local governments to develop a number of branch landings in Arctic Canada.
Utilizing locally owned community-based digital networks a direct connection to the global internet will establish backbone services for high-speed broadband communications across this underserved region.
Branching units will be located to support Arctic communities, infrastructure needs, and system redundancy and diverse backhaul.
Branching units will support strategic placement of extremely secure and geographically diverse data centers. These centers would take advantage of cost-effective renewable energy sources and environmental conditions.
Initial Design Specifications.
~14,000 km Repeatered long-haul submarine cable system with Terminal Stations in Japan, Ireland, and Norway/Finland. Regeneration station in Prudhoe Bay Alaska for local Add/Drop.
12 fiber pairs: 10 FP express, 2 FP reserved for local add/drops
Network Capacity [1]:
Express Spectrum: 60λ X 200G/FP = 12 Tbps/FP without regeneration.
Add Drop Spectrum: 60λ X 250G/FP = 15 Tbps/FP with regeneration.
Low Latency Express Capacity: 10FP x 12 Tbps/FP = 120 Tbps
Local add/drop capacity: 2FP x 15 Tbps/FP = 30 Tbps
Non-service interrupting upgrades to meet future capacity expansion needs as required.
Open Network
[1] Figures represent the current proven state-of-the-art technology.
Far North Fiber Benefits.
Arctic route avoids critical global choke points and political risks.
System architecture permits interconnection with geographically diverse, redundant route restoration options.
Cable terminations in Japan, Ireland, and Norway/Finland selected as regional focal points for capacity demand corridors.
Branching units located to support Arctic communities, infrastructure needs, and system redundancy and diverse backhaul.
Lower volume of ship traffic versus conventional routes within or crossing vessel lanes.
Branching units offer unparalleled opportunities for strategically co-located, highly energy-efficient data centers.