Crosslake Fibre Picks Ciena to Enable Submarine Network Across the English Channel

Crosslake Fibre, an international network service provider, is leveraging Ciena’s coherent optical technology and advanced analytics apps to build a new seamless submarine cable and terrestrial GeoMesh Extreme network between the critical but underserved data hubs of Slough, UK, and Paris, France.

The network, called ‘CrossChannel Fibre,’ is the first fibre cable project of its kind to be built across the busy shipping lanes of the English Channel since 2001. CrossChannel provides much-needed capacity and low latency to support the fast-growing bandwidth needs of telecommunications carriers, internet content providers, financial institutions, and media and gaming companies.

“There hasn’t been a new fibre network across the Channel in two decades,” said Mike Cunningham, CEO, Crosslake Fibre. “We saw the need for a modern network infrastructure—one that can handle the rigorous demands of today’s digital world, but also serve generations well into the future. And that’s the vision behind CrossChannel.”

To support voracious traffic growth driven by the cloud, video, and Internet of Things (IoT), Crosslake is deploying Ciena’s 6500 packet-optical platform powered by WaveLogic 5 Extreme, providing a differentiated customer experience with more bandwidth and resiliency. Additionally, the network provider is using Ciena’s Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) with Liquid Spectrum's Channel Margin Gauge app to allocate and scale capacity in real time, from 600Gbps to 800Gbps, to quickly adapt to changing customer requirements and maximize the value of deployed assets.

“A lot of online activities, but especially gaming and streaming, call for blazing performance and minimal delays or lag,” said Ian Clarke, Vice President of Global Submarine Solutions, Ciena. “Crosslake’s submarine cable network, with its high reliability and speedy connectivity, plays a pivotal role in elevating experiences like eSports and videoconferencing.”

Crosslake is part of the Ciena Partner Network, which provides access to tools, content, and programs that help accelerate growth amid changing market and technology conditions.