News

NTT Com's PC-1 Transpacific Submarine Cable to Introduce
Next-generation Optical Transmission Technology
- PC-1's Capacity to More than Triple to 10 Tbps-

TOKYO, JAPAN - NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com) announced today 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, ArcstarTM 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.

PC-1 cable system
The PC-1 transpacific network, measuring 21,000 km in total and with current capacity of 3.2 Tbps, is a ring topology network consisting of four fiber-pairs organized in four segments connecting landing stations near major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Japan: Ajigaura (near Tokyo); Shima (near Osaka and Nagoya); Harbour Pointe, Washington (near Seattle; and Grover Beach, California (between San Francisco and Los Angeles).

About NTT Communications Corporation

NTT Communications provides a broad range of global networks, management solutions and IT services to customers worldwide. The company is renowned for reliable, high-quality security, hosting, voice, data and IP services, as well as expertise in managed networks and leadership in IPv6 transit technology. NTT Communications’ extensive infrastructure includes Arcstar™ Global IP-VPN and Global e-VLAN, as well as a Tier-1 IP backbone reaching more than 150 countries in partnership with major Internet service providers, and secure data centers in Asia, North America and Europe. NTT Communications is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, one of the world’s largest telecoms with listings on the Tokyo, London and New York stock exchanges. Please visit www.ntt.com/index-e.html.

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