NTT Com’s PC-1 Transpacific Submarine Cable to Introduce Next-generation Optical Transmission Technology

TOKYO, November 4, 2011 -

- PC-1’s Capacity to More than Triple to 10 Tbps

NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) announced on November 4 that following the world’s first successful trial of 100 gigabit per second (Gbps) optical transmission on its PC-1 transpacific submarine cable system, which was announced in October, the company has confirmed the commercial viability of digital coherent transmission, a next-generation optical transmission technology, and has formally decided to incorporate the technology in the PC-1 by the middle of 2013. The upgrade will boost the PC-1’s transmission capacity to 10 terabits per second (Tbps), more than triple its current capacity of 3.2 Tbps.

Digital coherent transmission is a next-generation transmission technology that improves spectral efficiency through multi-level modulation such as phase modulation and polarization multiplexing. It greatly enhances receiver sensitivity by combining coherent detection and digital signal processing.

Data communication is rapidly increasing due to the expanding use of cloud computing and smartphone/tablet devices, as well as music/video downloading, blogs and social networking. NTT Com is helping to meet the surging demand for capacity with its PC-1 transpacific submarine cable, which links Japan and the U.S. among all transpacific cables. NTT Com uses the PC-1 to deliver global IP network services, Arcstar (TM) Universal One cloud-network services and global cloud services.

“Our subsea cable system PC-1 is an important international communications for the United States and Japan as proven during the March 11 disaster. Enhancing the capabilities of this PC-1, which provides the trans-pacific shortest link, through the most advanced technologies will satisfy ever increasing traffic and will be extremely beneficial for users,” said Takahiro Sumimoto, CEO of PC Landing Corp.

PC Landing Corp., an NTT Com group company and operator of the PC-1, succeeded in a trial 100 Gbps optical communication transmission using digital coherent technology in October. The trial, conducted over more than 9,500 kilometers of PC-1 fiber, was supported by the PC-1’s optically optimized architecture including efficiently placed optical repeaters and optical fiber layout.

Please visit

www.pc1.com/userfiles/file/pacific-crossing-and-infinera-complete-subsea-trial.pdf 

About NTT Communications Corporation

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CONTACT: (Ms.) Kotoe Kamosaki or (Mr.) Takeshi Kawasaki, Service Infrastructure, NTT Communications Corporation, Tel: +81-3-6700-7512, e-mail: cable-tech-si at ntt.com