The State of the Industry
THE AMERICAS By Paul Polishuk
WE AIM here to outline the present situation of Submarine Fiber Optic Cable Systems in the Americas, which includes North, South, and Central America. Over the past two to three years, there have been a large number of cables installed. These have included cables which are part of international cable systems, regional systems, and local systems. Of the total number of Fiber Optics Cables installed
worldwide, those connecting and between the Americas represent 80% of the total investment planned for the period 20002003. Of the total worldwide traffic, according to Telegeography, inter Americas traffic represents about 10% of the total world traffic. However, the amount of traffic terminating in the Americas and between the Americas represents approximately 70%.
Planned Investment in Undersea Optic Systems, 2000-2003 Total=$36,400 (US Millions)
Undersea Fiber Optic Cable Capacity by Region, in Gbps
$3 ,00 0
51 .1 39 5.6
$9 ,00 0
$1 5,0 00
1,2 15 64 4.1
$9 00 $2 ,50 0
$1 2,6 00
$1 ,50 0 S o uth eas t A sia
M edite rra ne an
W e st Indian O ce an
N o rthe rn E u rope
A tlantic
P a cific
1,8 42 .4 Intra -A sia
U S -E uro pe
U S -A sia
U S -L a tin A m e rica
C a rib bea n S ourc e: K M I, 2000 W orldw ise S um m ary of F iberoptic U ndersea S ystem s
S ource: TeleG eography
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E uro pe -A frica