Summary of Undersea Fiber Optic Network Technology and Systems

Transcription

1 Summary of Undersea Fiber Optic Network Technology and Systems By Adam Markow Senior Telecom Analyst The source of many of the slides is from The David Ross Group

2 A view of the Global Submarine Cable Network (TeleGeography)

3 Undersea System Elements Repeatered Examples Transoceanic Network Coastal Network Using the same elements Submarine Cable Repeaters Branching Unit Terminal Stations

4 Undersea System Elements - Non-Repeatered Examples Repeaterless vs. Repeatered: Limited to <400 km span lengths Sometimes, but not always Less expensive initially More flexible long term Less expensive to operate & maintain More complex to upgrade Historical advantages of repeaterless offset today by current market oversupply of repeatered production capability and inventory Inter-island Network Submarine Cable Terminal Stations Coastal Networks Using the same elements The choice between repeatered & repeaterless must be made on a case by case basis Source The David Ross Group Trunk & Branch Festoon

5 Connecting a Terrestrial Network with and Undersea System Telehouse Backhaul Connection Cable Station & Beach Manhole. ADM N x STM-1o N x STM-64 ADM SLTE Ocean Cable ADM. PFE Shore Section ) Ocean ground SLTE Submarine Line Termination Equipment. PFE Power Feed Equipment (pushes constant current of ~1.5 A across undersea cable link from CS to CS)

6 Cable Station Floor Plan GCL Cable Station Requirements: At least 17,000 square feet (~1900m 2 ) of total area Raised floor, with minimum load tolerance of 500 kg/m 2 Useable height of at least 2.5m Dual cable vaults DC -48v power, with battery backup for at least 1 hour. Diesel Engine emergency backup HVAC to maintain room temperature between 22-24C Ring Ground Fire/smoke detection, with connection to emergency/control center 24 hour access for maintenance and repair Battery Transmission Equipment Collocation for backhaul Meeting/training room

7 Cable Station Transmission Components LINE PAIR #1 Undersea Cable Line Current Cable Station Power Feed Equipment SLTE Orderwire & Maintenance SLTE SDH Terminal SDH Terminal Orderwire & Maintenance LINE PAIR #4 Optical Connections of Terrestrial Link connecting to Data Center Line Monitoring Equipment

8 Land Plant Line Terminating Equipment To SDH Equipment λ λ λ 1 2 N λ 1- N Line Amplifier Optical Line To Undersea Cable High Performance Optical Equipment DWDM Wavelength Terminating Equipment

9 Land Plant Line Terminating Equipment OTX Shelf STM-16 STM-16 STM-16 STM-16 O/E CONV. 2.5G ORX O/E CONV. 2.5G ORX O/E CONV. 2.5G ORX O/E CONV. 2.5G ORX OH FEC INS ENCODER OH FEC INS ENCODER OH TIMING GENERATOR OH FEC INS ENCODER OH TIMING GENERATOR OH FEC INS OH ENCODER TIMING GENERATOR OH FEC COD SCR MUX SCR MUX E/O CONV. 10G SOTX WME 10.8G ORX Shelf STM-16 STM-16 STM-16 STM-16 E/O CONV. 2.5G OTX E/O CONV. 2.5G OTX E/O CONV. 2.5G OTX E/O CONV. 2.5G OTX Timing Generator OH FEC TRM DECODER Timing Generator OH FEC TRM DECODER OH Timing Generator OH FEC TRM DECODER OH Timing Generator OH FEC TRM OH DECODER FRM SYNC & DSCR DMUX DSCR DMUX O/E CONV. 10G SORX WME 10.8G OH FEC DEC Source NEC Source The David Ross Group

10 Land Plant SDH Ring Terminal SDH Multiplex Equipment Network Protection Equipment High Performance Optical Equipment Wavelength Terminating Equipment Line Amplifier Optical Line To Undersea Cable Duplicated Per Fiber Pair Source The David Ross Group

11 Land Plant Network Management Equipment Network Management System Workstation Inland Network (optional) Network Management System Equipment SDH Vendor Equipment Element Managers HPOE WTE Undersea Line Equipment Line Monitoring Equipment TLA Power Feed Equipment Source The David Ross Group

12 Land Plant Power Feed Equipment PR1 PR2 PM LT SW TL1 TL2 800 mm 800 mm 800 mm 800 mm 800 mm 800 mm 800 mm COM COM FAN FAN CONV(1) CONV(6) CURR CONT LOAD TRF SW&RETURN 1,800 mm CONV(2) CONV(3) CONV(4) CONV(7) CONV(8) CONV(9 ) OPE & MONI & C/V SENSOR COMN RECORDER & EARTH TEST TEST LOAD TEST LOAD CONV(5) BLANK *The depth of the frame: 600mm HV PFE Configuration Source KDD SCS

13 Cable Station and Beach Manhole 2025 Taft Street - Hollywood, Florida

14 Global Crossing Backhaul in Hollywood, Florida The optronic connection that starts at Optical Distribution Frame (ODF) in the Cable Station and then continues to the ODF at the City Service Point, the Telehouse. Then a separate connection of the circuit is made to the frame of the carrier who will then take traffic back to the end customer premise. Cable Station

15 Undersea Cable Landing Configuration Submerged Plant Beach Manhole Shore Section Land Sections Terminal Station Terminal Station Equipment Branching Unit Network Management Terminal Station Land Section Beach Manhole Optical & Power Feed Transmission Equipment Equipment Cable Repeater

16 Cable Ship Yes, the cable really does rest on the Ocean Floor! Repeater Submarine Mountain Submarine Cable

17 South America Physical Map South America ERZ border at 12 nmi South American Crossing Segments are mostly outside of the ERZ ERZ = Economic Resource Zone

18 Installing a Submarine Cable System Source The David Ross Group

19 CS Long Lines LONG LINES YEAR OF BUILD: 1963 LENGTH: BREADTH: DRAUGHT: 8.17 DEPTH: FLAG: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SHIPBUILDER: DEUTSCHE WERFT HAMBURG COUNTRY OF BUILD: FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY STATUS: IN SERVICE/COMMISSION

20 Cable Ship Profile Tyco Telecom

21 Cable Laying and Burial

22 Phases of Cable System Network Planning, Finance & Procurement Carrier Partnership Business Plan Preliminary Network Design & Desktop study Finance Procurement Survey Route engineering Network engineering Deployment License & Permits Terminal Station Construction Manufacturing- Undersea and Land Plant Undersea Plant Assembly & Load Undersea Installation Shore end and cable burial Deep water i Branching unit Final Splice Terminal Station Installation Commissioning & Acceptance Service Service, Operations & Maintenance System Provisioning Station & NOC Operations Cable Maintenance agreement (Cable recover, splicing, repair, relay, rebury) Network Upgrades Survey Vessel Installation Ship Sea Plow for Cable Burial Operation Maintenance Vessel

23 St. Croix Shore End - SAC,2000 After years and years

24 If the cable should break, the cable must be hooked

25 Land Plant Land Cables Terminal Stations

26 Land Plant Land Cables Fiber Cable Copper/Stainless Steel Bimetal Armor Core Tube Filling Compound TM Lightpack Fiber Bundle 4-48 Fibers Color Coded Binder Helical Lay Wire Strength Members High Density Polyethylene Jacket Source - Tycom

27 Land Plant Land Cables Power Cable #6 Copper Conductor Strand Screen Insulation Semiconductor Layer Copper Tape Polyethylene Jacket Source - Tycom

28 Land Plant Terminal Station Equipment Line Terminating Equipment High Performance Optical Equipment Wavelength Terminating Equipment Line Amplifiers SDH Network Protection Equipment SDH Multiplex Equipment Line Monitoring Equipment Network Management Equipment Power Feed Equipment Synchronization Equipment Test Equipment

29 Terminal Stations Typically terminate undersea signals, and interface with domestic network Most often very close to beach Construction & features very similar to other telecom offices, such as Central Offices, but include some unique aspects In multi-point coastal systems, costs can become significant element of network cost. Large stations cost $10-$15M. Very small stations <$5M. Permissions and Rights Of Ways associated with construction and beach access, plus actual civil construction, together often dominate overall network construction schedule In small, regional networks, alternate more efficient options (prefabricated huts) may be possible Source The David Ross Group

30 Undersea Plant Cable and Fiber Repeaters Equalizers Branching Units Marine Installation

31 Undersea Plant Cable and Fiber Specified for each span of each system Typically 1 to 4 types of cable depending on type of environmental protection needed Typically 1 to 3 types of fiber depending on required management of optical transmission properties Network costs vary widely depending on types of cable (increase dramatically in vulnerable areas)

32 Submarine Fiber Cables

33 Comparison of Coaxial and Fiber Optics Cable

34 Undersea Optical Cable Tyco Standard design < 2000 ARMORED PROTECTION LAYER OPTICAL FIBER UNIT FIBER STRUCTURE STRENGTH WIRES COPPER SHEATH INSULATION JACKET

35 Undersea Plant Cable Types LW (Lightweight) SPA (Special Purpose Armor) LWA (Light Wire Armor) SA (Single Armor) DA-HS (Double Armor, High Strength) DA-HA (Double Armor, High Impact) Rock Armor Source Tycom

36 Various Cables and Applications Undersea Cable Types: Undersea Cable Double Armored (DA) Single Armored (SA) Light-Wire Armored (LWA) Special Application* (SPA) Light Weight (LW) Typical Application Beach Joint to 400 Meter Depth 400 to 900 Meter Depth Buried 900-2,000 Meter Depth >2,000 Meter Depth Power & Ground Cable Land Cable *Fish Bite Protected Cable

37 Undersea Plant LW Cable Lightweight cable Used in deep water where hazards are minimal Comes in three outer diameters mm, used in non-repeatered systems mm, used in several recent repeatered systems mm, used in repeatered systems wherever the additional size is deemed necessary or desirable Cost varies in proportion to size.

38 Undersea Plant Armored Cable Armored cable Used in shallower water where hazards from abrasion, fishing activity or anchors warrant Comes in several varieties SPA, for light abrasion or fishbite protection LWA, for harsher abrasion SA, for light marine activity DA, for heavier marine activity Rock armor, for the most challenging environments Specified jointly by supplier, installer, and purchaser Armor is costly, takes more time to produce, load, lay Result: systems in difficult environments cost much more

39 Undersea Plant- Repeaters Repeater Performance designed to match needs of system Two sizes presently available 1 to 4 fiber pair 5 to 8 fiber pair One optical amplifier per fiber Costs strongly dependent on number of fiber pair Cost also dependent on performance Spacing (between repeaters) set for system performance / cost, and typically 50-80km Shorter spacing generally yields higher ultimate capacity In long (many thousand km) systems, often largest single component network cost

40 Undersea Plant Repeater Approx Be l l ows Cab l e Te rmi na t i on Approx (Repeat er Hous ing) Cab l e Termi na t i on Approx. 230 Approx. 265 Approx. 250 Ta i l Cabl e Cab l e Repea t e r Hous i ng Approx Appr ox Approx (between PIN to PIN) Source - NEC

41 Undersea Plant Repeater 4 Amplifier Pair Repeater Amplifier Pair Chassis Locking Plate Heat Transfer Plate Supervisory Erbium Amplifiers Power Supply Pump Unit Control Circuit Source Tycom

42 TSSL Repeater < 2000 Cable to Repeater Coupling 69cm (27 ) Repeater End Cover 33cm (13 ) Repeater Housing Laser Pump Driver Optical Amplifier Pair

43 Undersea Plant Equalizer Performance designed to match needs of system Inserted at periodic intervals as needed One equalizer per fiber Cost strongly dependent on number of fiber pair Higher capacity systems generally require more exotic equalization

44 Undersea Plant Equalizer Pressure Housing Cable Coupling Equalizer Module Source - NEC

45 Undersea Plant Branching Unit All currently produced are three-terminal One or more fiber pair may be branched Fiber connections or powering may be switchable from a shore terminal or NOC for restoration or security Wavelength branching (Optical Undersea Add- Drop Mutiplexing) has been done on a limited basis Cost is strongly dependent on degree of complexity and number of fiber pair

46 Undersea Plant Branching Unit Bellows Bellows Cable Cable Termination Termination Approx Approx.4600 Approx Approx.1245 Branching Housing Unit Unit (Pressure Housing) (Pressure Housing) Cable Cable Termination Termination Tail Ap p r o x d i a. Tail Cable Cable Approx. φ480 Gimbal Joint Gimbval Joint Cable Cable Approx Approx (Dimensions in mm) Branching Unit With Cable Terminations Source - NEC

47 Undersea Plant Marine Installation Uses specially designed cable-laying vessels and tools Costs strongly dependent on Water depth Types of cable and protection employed Bottom characteristics Burial depth required Number of shore landings and branching units Number of cable and pipeline crossings Distance of lay from cable factory Weather

48 Deployment Timeline Economies to Be Achieved Traditional Procurement Cycle Typical 2 Year Timeline Financing Network Planning Desktop Study Supply Procurement & Contract System Manufacture System Installation Operations Readiness Testing Survey Procurement Survey Source The David Ross Group

49 Primary Network Construction Elements Wet Plant Dry Plant Terminal Stations & Backhaul Marine Work Network Operations Center

50 Network Construction Cost & Payment Schedule Typical Network Costs ( ): $30-40K/km, plus stations Today s Discounted Network Costs, with Market Oversupply: $20K/km, plus stations Work Typically Begins with secure finance, followed by secure supply contract 5-10% down payment Periodic milestone-based progress payments during construction period, cumulating to 75-85% before service begins Additional 10-15% at start of service Last 5-10% at final acceptance months thereafter Work might begin earlier via an ITP IF purchaser guarantees payment for all supplier expenses prior to secure contract Today s oversupply market offers huge discounts for purchasers, but minimal opportunities for vendor finance

51 Costs After the Initial Installation Operation and Administration Maintenance and Repair Network Upgrades

52 Costs After the Initial Installation Operation and Administration In consortium and domestic systems, operation handled by experts landing-party carriers. In private systems, operation provided by carriers carriers or outsourced to suppliers. Involves staff at cable stations and the Network Operations Center (if any). Functions involve provisioning, troubleshooting, monitoring performance, and billing. For domestic undersea networks, processes can readily be integrated with similar processes for other land & satellite-based elements of the carrier s complete network

53 Costs After the Initial Installation Maintenance and Repair Dry maintenance and repair handled by operations staff and suppliers. Wet maintenance and repair handled by Cable Maintenance Authorities under Cable Maintenance Agreements. CMAs employ ships, spares, and skilled personnel on standby to do repairs on any cable within the agreement. CMAs are specific to geographic regions, e.g. Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, etc. Costs of CMAs typically depend on length of system and number of landings, as drivers of expected number of repairs. Per-network costs are greatly dependent on the number of networks covered in the CMA sharing its expense. Wet maintenance costs have dropped dramatically from as a consequence of an excess of cable ships, but remain millions (US$) annually

54 Costs After the Initial Installation Network Upgrades Network upgrades to increase capacity by adding wavelengths are planned and contracted (price-capped) at the time of the initial system construction. Typically, but not always, the same supplier installs and upgrades the network Terminal stations must be sized for the ultimate capacity of the system, often requiring tens of thousands of square feet. In high-capacity WDM systems, upgrading to the ultimate design capacity may take many years, and will often cost more than the initial undersea system installation. Since technology and prices change over time, purchasers often obtain better prices (than originally contracted) at the time they are needed

55 Life-Cycle Costs Revenue $ Possible Revenue Projection (further study required) Construction Begins with ITP First Revenue Time Supply & OA&M Contract Cost 100% Finance & Supply Contract Closure Construction Milestone Payments Service Final Acceptance Net Cash Flow- Break-even Dependent On Demand & Revenue Cumulative Costs Operations, And Maintenance Begin