Combined Fiber Rings to Connect Seven Submarine Cable Systems into Single Network
HILLSBORO, OR – January 20, 2020 – Astound Business, a national telecommunications provider with a local focus, today announced the construction of Hillsboro Data Center Ring II, a pioneering fiber optic network in Oregon scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2020. Hillsboro is already home to Astound’s fiber Ring I, a cross-connect facility for several transpacific submarine cables that currently connects six data centers.
Together, Ring I and Ring II will connect up to 14 existing or planned data centers and will service 7 transpacific submarine cable systems. Transpacific destinations involving the submarine cable systems include China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Guam, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and American Samoa. Additional destinations to be added in 2020 include the Philippines and Alaska, with New Caledonia being added in 2021.
Astound also operates the Tillamook Lightwave-owned cable landing station in Pacific City, Oregon and provides path-diverse dark fiber routes to Hillsboro for incoming transpacific subsea cables. Hillsboro has grown into a transpacific hub for data centers and companies with business in Asia. The two rings will provide an efficient, low-cost method for these cables to cross-connect to each other and to high-capacity wavelength services in major U.S. markets. This also gives customers the ability to connect any two facilities with dark fiber, providing a completely secure and protected path with the same qualities, without traversing through any other facility.
“This will be one of the few places in the world where seven submarine cable systems can be seamlessly accessed through a single protected dark fiber network, allowing any customer in any data center to cross-connect to such dense transpacific capacity,” said Patrick Knorr, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, Astound Business. “This new construction addresses demand for high-count fiber from companies that are building or already own one or more data centers on one of the rings, allowing them to connect facilities, as well as gain access to the transpacific cables.”
While Ring II’s 3,456-strand fiber optic network will be complete in the second quarter of 2020, the original Ring I currently has two 864 low-loss, single-mode fiber cables that have path diverse entries into each its six connected data center facilities. This ring also serves low-cost cross-connects to four transpacific submarine cable systems, including NCP, Hawaiki, FASTER, and TGN – with a 5th cable, Jupiter, coming in 2020. Ring II will connect two additional transpacific cables, the North Star and Southern Cross.
Businesses connected to the fiber rings or the Pacific City landing station will be able to leverage Astound’s network, consisting of 20,000+ route miles of fiber, to transmit data along the West Coast and across the country.
For the price of a cross-connect, any customer can connect to any other customer or carrier POP located on the rings. The rings can accommodate international customers that are looking for wavelength service to other markets in the United States. This network expansion also enables entities on Astound’s fiber network to directly link with Asia through the Pacific City landing station.
ABOUT ASTOUND BUSINESS
Astound Business Solutions provides IT leaders with high-capacity, secure connectivity to their mission-critical applications while increasing overall agility and responsiveness to customer needs. As a national telecommunications provider, we offer advanced solutions that are delivered over a diverse, carrier-grade network that we own and maintain, providing the speed, bandwidth, and reliability businesses need to support their growing data demands. While we provide coast-to-coast connectivity to over 70,000 business customers, we maintain a local, customer-centric approach, with dedicated industry experts on-hand around the clock to help businesses stay on top of today’s evolving IT technology and remain competitive in their markets.
Media Contact
Mark S. Peterson
mark@pointerpr.com
206-390-0204
