Southern Cross Achieves World’s First 1 Tb/s Transmission Across the Pacific With Ciena

Rhea-AI Summary

Southern Cross Cable has achieved a significant milestone by implementing the world's first transpacific 1 Tb/s single-carrier wavelength across its 13,500km network using Ciena's (NYSE: CIEN) WaveLogic 6 Extreme coherent optics. The error-free transmission between Sydney and Los Angeles demonstrates record-breaking capabilities and spectral efficiencies.

The company will begin volume deployment of WaveLogic 6 Extreme in Q1 2025 across various network segments, including its Southern Cross NEXT cable. This implementation enhances network reliability and resilience throughout the Oceania region, supporting increasing bandwidth demands for AI, content, video, and cloud applications.

Southern Cross operates three diverse Trans-Pacific submarine cables connecting Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii to the mainland United States, with approximately 45,000 kilometers of submarine and 4,300 kilometers of terrestrial fiber optic cables. The network provides over 100 Tb/s of digital inter-connectivity capability.

Positive

• Achieved world's first 1 Tb/s transpacific transmission
• Network capacity upgraded by more than 100 times the original design potential
• Volume deployment of WaveLogic 6 Extreme scheduled for Q1 2025
• Enhanced capability to support 400GbE and future 800GbE client services

Negative

• None.

Insights

Network Infrastructure Analyst

The successful 1 Tb/s transmission test across the Pacific represents a groundbreaking technological achievement with significant commercial implications. The implementation of WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) coherent optics enables a 40-fold increase in data transmission capacity compared to current industry standards.

The strategic timing of this advancement aligns perfectly with the exponential growth in bandwidth demand driven by AI applications and cloud services. The network upgrade delivers three critical advantages:

• Enhanced spectral efficiency, reducing operational costs per bit transmitted
• Improved power efficiency, important for submarine cable operations
• Future-proofing for upcoming 800GbE client services

Most notably, this upgrade path requires no additional submarine cable infrastructure investment, maximizing return on existing assets while positioning Southern Cross competitively in the trans-Pacific data corridor. This technological leap will particularly benefit hyperscalers and content providers requiring high-capacity, low-latency connections between APAC and North American data centers.

Data Center Infrastructure Specialist

This breakthrough in transmission technology directly addresses the critical challenges faced by data center operators and cloud service providers. The ability to deliver 1 Tb/s over a single wavelength translates to significant operational efficiencies in several key areas:

The implementation enables more streamlined connectivity between major data center hubs in Sydney and Los Angeles, important for AI workload distribution and cloud service delivery. The reduced power consumption and space requirements of WL6e technology align perfectly with data center sustainability goals while maintaining the high reliability required for submarine cable systems.

The upgrade pathway to 800GbE client services positions Southern Cross to support next-generation data center interconnect requirements, particularly important as AI training models continue to grow in size and complexity, demanding ever-increasing bandwidth between geographic regions.

New coherent optical technology allows Southern Cross to ride the Terabit wave

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Southern Cross Cable Limited (“Southern Cross”) has connected the world’s first transpacific 1 Tb/s single-carrier wavelength across its 13,500km live production network with Ciena’s (NYSE: CIEN) WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) coherent optics. The connectivity milestone saw WL6e perform effortlessly at 1 Tb/s over the world’s longest single optical submarine cable segment and demonstrates the adaptive nature of Southern Cross’ network.

With WL6e, Southern Cross continues to enhance its network eco-system to be more scalable, intelligent and ideally positioned to deliver high-capacity digital pathways between Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Implementation of Ciena’s leading technology allows Southern Cross to enhance the reliability and resilience of connectivity throughout the Oceania region. This will support Southern Cross in meeting the evolving needs of end users requiring increasing bandwidth to support projected demand for AI, content, video and cloud applications.

The new channel speed ran error-free at 1 Tb/s on Southern Cross’ live production network between Sydney and Los Angeles demonstrating record-breaking capabilities and spectral efficiencies. Southern Cross will begin volume deployment of WL6e in the first calendar quarter of 2025 across various segments of its network, including its Southern Cross NEXT cable supporting the lowest latency connectivity between Sydney/Auckland and Los Angeles.

Key Facts:

• Southern Cross owns and operates three diverse Trans-Pacific submarine cables connecting Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii to the mainland United States, along with the Pacific Islands of Nukunonu, Tokelau and Kiritimati, Kiribati. The network has around 45,000 kilometers of submarine and 4,300 kilometers of terrestrial fiber optic cables providing over 100 Tb/s of digital inter-connectivity capability providing secure, resilient and reliable connectivity across the Pacific.
• Southern Cross connected two key centers via Ciena’s WL6e, in the industry’s first 1 Tb/s implementation across the Pacific, including Southern Cross’ NEXT network. Leveraging WL6e’s leading-edge coherent optical technology, Southern Cross will be able to provide an end-to-end connectivity solution across higher capacity wavelengths, using less space and power, and delivering capability in support of 400GbE and future 800GbE client services.
• Southern Cross is using Ciena’s GeoMesh Extreme solution, which includes the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform powered by WL6e, to upgrade capacity by more than 100 times the original design potential, utilising the same infrastructure that was originally designed to transport 2.5 Gb/s wavelengths.

Executive Comments:

• “Transforming and modernizing our networks to support next-generation applications and growing bandwidth demands is part of our ongoing 20+ year commitment to the Pacific. Working with Ciena and adapting our network with their latest coherent optical solution illustrates our pledge to the ongoing enhancement of critical digital infrastructure for our region. Southern Cross’ eco-system provides a vital gateway between Australia and the United States by connecting 20+ key nodes located across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the US West Coast to global digital markets. In today’s increasingly hyper-connected world, delivering an incredible customer experience depends on the ability of Southern Cross to create innovative services and provide the capacity needed to meet constantly changing demands. Ciena’s WL6e technology once again allows us to deliver on that ambition.”
  — Laurie Miller, President and CEO, Southern Cross Cables Limited
• “As AI and cloud applications continue to increase capacity requirements for data centers, cloud and service providers are working with private cable operators like Southern Cross to expand their footprint and offer reliable connectivity. With Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 high performance optics, these service providers can support the move towards 800G services to connect data centers and build AI-ready networks with greater scale.”
  — Dino DiPerna, Senior Vice President, Global Research and Development, Ciena

About Southern Cross Cable Limited

Southern Cross Cable Limited (“Southern Cross”) provides fast, direct, and secure international bandwidth from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii to the heart of the Internet in the USA. The Southern Cross network comprises three submarine communications cables with a current potential capacity of over 100Tbs.

Southern Cross is currently undertaking the Southern Cross Tasman Express project which will be a high-capacity SDM express route, providing 240Tbs+ of data-centre connectivity between Sydney and Auckland. Southern Cross Cable Limited has offices in Sydney, Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton. For more information visit Southern Cross at: http://www.southerncrosscables.com.

About Ciena

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a networking systems, services and software company. We provide solutions that help our clients create the Adaptive Network in response to the constantly changing demands of their users. By delivering best-in-class networking technology through high-touch consultative relationships, we build the world’s most agile networks with automation, openness and scale. For updates on Ciena, follow us on Twitter @Ciena, LinkedIn, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.

Note to Ciena Investors

You are encouraged to review the Investors section of our website, where we routinely post press releases, SEC filings, recent news, financial results, and other announcements. From time to time we exclusively post material information to this website along with other disclosure channels that we use. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations, forecasts, information and assumptions. These statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those stated or implied, because of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in our most recent annual and quarterly reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies and can be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "should," "will," and "would" or similar words. Ciena assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250115816371/en/

Southern Cross Cable Limited

Press Contact: media@sccn.co.nz

Ciena Corporation

Press Contact: Chua Wei Wei

+65 9833 2654

pr@ciena.com



Investor Contact: Gregg Lampf

+1 (410) 694-5700

ir@ciena.com

Source: Ciena Corporation

FAQ

What is the significance of Southern Cross's 1 Tb/s transmission achievement with Ciena (CIEN)?

It represents the world's first transpacific 1 Tb/s single-carrier wavelength transmission across a 13,500km network, demonstrating record-breaking capabilities and enhanced network efficiency.

When will Southern Cross deploy Ciena's (CIEN) WaveLogic 6 Extreme technology across its network?

Volume deployment will begin in the first calendar quarter of 2025 across various network segments, including the Southern Cross NEXT cable.

What is the current capacity of Southern Cross's network using Ciena (CIEN) technology?

The network provides over 100 Tb/s of digital inter-connectivity capability across approximately 45,000 kilometers of submarine and 4,300 kilometers of terrestrial fiber optic cables.

How does the Ciena (CIEN) WaveLogic 6 Extreme upgrade impact Southern Cross's original network design?

The upgrade increases capacity by more than 100 times the original design potential, which was initially designed to transport 2.5 Gb/s wavelengths.