FEATURE
PTC19’S SUBMARINE CABLE WORKSHOP A Can’t-Miss Look at an Exciting Year Ahead!
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019 is looking like it will be both a busy and exciting year for all of us in the Submarine Cable Industry. … Certainly this is not just because there are so many conferences to attend - starting soon with PTC’19 just around the corner and not long thereafter, SubOptic 2019, which we all look forward to every 3 years … … Nor because each of the system suppliers keep building more and more - see just a few examples below … • SUBCOM officially now has new owners who want to invest and grow their business, • ASN’s ownership question may no longer hang in the balance, as a new suitor just confirmed interest, • NEC’s parent will perhaps continue to support their supply business with project financing support, and • HMN will be installing the PEACE cable across the Middle East- one of their biggest undertakings yet! … Nor because the undersea business is growing so much that we’ll all have no choice but to hire fresh and diverse talent – more than we’ve probably collectively hired in years, from whom we’ll all learn things which we can’t possibly yet imagine … … Nor because ‘Petabit’ transatlantic capacity volumes may be commonly anticipated in the foreseeable future and
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SUBMARINE TELECOMS MAGAZINE
BY ELAINE STAFFORD
perhaps we’ll all be programmed to remember that “Peta” means ten to the 15th power. OMG. … … Nor because the reach of transmission systems makes for some amazing new connectivity … … Nor because we’ll all enjoy reading the many new blogs shared by seasoned industry veterans who like to either provoke controversy or stimulate industry introspective, both of which add value in their own unique way … All of those, from what I can see, are true, and they will all add to the excitement the sector will experience next year. They each help make nearly every day in our industry fascinating……and sufficiently fascinating that many of us grey-hairs remain torn between retiring and staying actively engaged. But in my mind, what will make 2019 especially notable is the sheer volume of new cables being planned and constructed. There are more new projects ongoing in 2019 than we’ve see for a very long time. Who knew? As memories of 2000 have diminished but not disappeared, many of us have not wanted to get overly optimistic or enthusiastic about the possibilities. We simply did/do not want to hype expectations and inadvertently stimulate the over-speculation we experienced decades ago. But today, seemingly built on real demand, the tide definitely seems to be rising with