FEATURE and come to down a roving group of contractors. old and new skills. Proficiency in SDM, PFE and SLTE Because new subsea entrants own their own cable, they is a prerequisite. After an event, HLLB (High Loss Loop have an opportunity to fine-tune support to meet their spe- Back) repeater scans are performed on each fiber pair to cific technical requirements. Like all the best determine if a cable or damage to specific fibers has ocmanaged service propositions, the primary curred. And PFE voltages are analyzed to give a coarse task will be to free them up to focus on location of the cable anomaly. If a cable break is detheir core business, which in the case of internet companies is about so much more than connecProviders will need security experts to take on tivity. It will therefore be increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, data incumbent on the next analysts and AI specialists to advance the shift in maintenance from generation of subsea support companies, not being proactive to predictive. just manage and monitor the cable, but to set out a roadmap towards continuous improvement, which will termined then it’s about using COTDR (Coherent Optical mean leveraging the latest technology. Time Domain Reflectometry) across all impacted fibers to Subsea systems operators need to be proactive rather than accurately locate the size and extent of the problem, as well reactive, and new technology is the great enabler. Real-time as inform the solution. monitoring, timely reporting and prompt maintenance are Harder to find are new skills and competencies that table stakes that demand a dedicated subsea NOC (Network will signal the biggest shift in subsea managed services. Operation Centre), peopled by subsea specialists who collect Providers will need security experts to take on increasingly and collate data, triage every incident, and share granular sophisticated cyber threats, data analysts and AI specialists detail with the vessels of subsea repair contractors. to advance the shift in maintenance from being proactive to Submarine cables are susceptible to breaks and damage predictive. All will be required to meet the expectations of from man-made and natural events, from fishing activity and internet companies that live and breathe these technologies. dredging to bad weather and earthquakes. Cut or damaged Overcoming logistics challenges will be another part of cable can typically take days if not weeks to repair causing the remit. Managing and maintaining infrastructure that extended downtime (the Tonga experience would not be connect continents is a complex endeavor, where parts have typical). Once the clock is ticking, it’s about having the right to be available for delivery to remote corners of the world. length and type of cable, and a subsea repair vessel available When it comes to subsea repairs, they must be correctly with the right tools onboard to do the physical repairs. and cost effectively executed, both in time spent loading, In advance of sailing, engineers will try and identify the time at sea and the extent of the work carried out. point of the break by measuring the time it takes light to Just as internet companies have become disruptors in the bounce back from the broken fiber. The challenge for a new subsea cable market, a new wave of subsea managed service generation of subsea systems operators is to make imprecise providers must be ready to innovate on their side of the fault-finding more precise, so that when the vessel sets off, business. They need to be able combine first-class engineerthe most significant variable that could undermine repairs ing talent with leading-edge technologies, systems and proshould be the weather. cess automation. The world of subsea cabling has changed Back on land, there will be other jobs that also fall under forever, and everyone involved has to change with it. STF the remit of the systems operator. They will need to be able RON TOTTON is EVP for Strategy & Growth Markets in to escalate and provide on-site, multi-vendor engineering Indigo. Ron is assisting Indigo to disrupt and transform support, to ensure landing stations are always optimized telecoms networks with initiatives such as the launch of Indigo Subsea that looks to redefine and digitally transform and ready to connect with backhaul networks or directly the way subsea networks operate. into local data centers.
FUTURE-PROOF SKILLS
New subsea players are essentially laying a transoceanic network on top of the existing global network. This calls for
36
SUBMARINE TELECOMS MAGAZINE
He has helped develop a subsea Systems Operator model, which includes a dedicated NOC to meet the growing demand for operational support services. He has spent over a decade working closely with consortia that include ISPs, CSPs and telcos, forging strong relationships in every corner of the globe, from the Nordics to Southeast Asia.
