Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, the undersea cables subsidiary of Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), and GoTo Networks, a developer and operator of submarine fiber optic cable systems, have signed a turnkey contract to build Australia West Express, the first direct undersea cable between Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

The AWE system will span the Indian Ocean, connecting Perth in Australia and Djibouti in north-east Africa, with onward connectivity to provide an entirely new lower latency route to Europe. This will enhance traffic protection and extend broadband connectivity to new areas.  The system is planned to be ready for service by the end of 2016, and will have an ultimate design capacity of 20 Tbit/s.

Specialist consulting firm, The David Ross Group (DRG), has been retained by the owners to assist them in the development of the new system and start-up of the new business.

Commenting on the project, John Mariano, GoTo Networks Founder and CEO said: “AWE will support a wide variety of consumer and enterprise broadband services for Australasia economies and recognize Europe’s increasing importance as a destination for internet traffic. Leveraging ASN’s innovation and 200 Gbit/s transmission technology, we are also positioning for further scalability to address future growth in ultra-broadband traffic and applications”

Philippe Dumont, President of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said: “The creation of the Australia West Express comes at a period of increasing interest in new international routes to reliably carry increasing volumes of data traffic as global demand for ultra-broadband access rises. We are pleased to work with GoTo Networks on the AWE system that will offer unmatched cable route diversity which is critical for traffic routing and protection.”

The ASN solution will be based on the innovative 1620 SOFTNODE and R-OADM branching unit to maximize capacity and network flexibility over the latest generation of Coherent Submarine Fiber (CSF-2). ASN will be responsible for the project on a turnkey basis, from system design to installation and commissioning.

About GoTo Networks  

GoTo Networks, Inc. is focused on the development of new submarine cable systems to greenfield or underserved markets. It has been formed by individuals with a long history of involvement in the development and implementation of submarine telecommunications cable systems.

Headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey, our management are all veterans of the submarine cable and telecommunications industry with experience in the design, development and implementation of numerous cable system around the globe.

For more information about AWE, please visit http://gotonetworks.net/

About David Ross Group

David Ross Group specializes in planning, engineering, managing construction, operating and commercializing undersea fiber optic telecommunication infrastructures worldwide.  The DRG team has advised on projects totaling over 350,000 km of undersea cable and more than 50 landings on six continents.  Its global market knowledge, and commercial, technical and management experience has provided practical solutions to its clients’ complex challenges.

About Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks

Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks leads the industry in terms of capacity and installed based with more than 575,000 km of optical submarine cables/systems deployed worldwide. From traditional telecom to new Oil & Gas applications, ASN provides every part of a global undersea transmission network, all tailored to the customer’s needs. An extensive service portfolio completes its comprehensive offering for the submarine business, including project management, installation and commissioning and marine operations and maintenance performed by its fleet of seven cable ships.