Equinix hooks up Australia Singapore sub cable as ASC extends access

The Vocus-owned Australia Singapore Cable will be accessible in Equinix’s International Business Exchange data centres in Singapore as well as in six Australian metros, including the Cable Landing Station in Perth and several points of presence in Sydney and Melbourne.

“It was extremely important for Equinix to work with Vocus to ensure the Australia Singapore Cable will have points of presence in as many of our IBX data centres as possible across the country,” Equinix Australia MD Jeremy Deutsch told Telecom Times.

Equinix-MD
Equinix Australia MD Jeremy Deutsch

“The subsea cable industry is experiencing explosive growth driven by exponential increases in data traffic, including a massive expansion of video, social, e-commerce and other consumer traffic,” Deutsch said, noting a key strategic focus for the company around partnering on new projects that offer its customers improved access to the expanding global subsea cable network

According to Equinix, business between Australia and Singapore is rising sharply as Singapore’s growth is speeding up and that nation increasingly serves as a pivotal Asian trade, logistics and manufacturing hub.

The interconnection specialist said the 4,600 kilometre ASC will add more PoPs to Equinix facilities in Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane. “Together with the CLS in Perth, the extended access will enable Equinix to meet customer demand for interconnection and networking capabilities with businesses between Australia and Southeast Asia,” the firm said.

The expanded ASC connection follows Equinix’s completion of the Metronode purchase, which ramped up its Australian data centre footprint to four new markets in Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane – and additional facilities in Sydney and Melbourne.

‘The purchase of Metronode has enabled Equinix to expand to Perth in a time when the need for businesses to access subsea cables is growing rapidly,’ said Deutsch. “Right now, we are focusing on our integration work with the team at Metronode. Also, the phase three expansion of our Melbourne data centre (ME1) is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2018.”

Equinix said the level of global data traffic is expected to reach 3.3 zettabytes by 2021 as almost every byte makes contact with a subsea cable with cloud service providers, network service providers, content providers and enterprises pushing to move data globally in real time.

“With the vast majority of global business sending data via subsea cables, it is a priority for Equinix to provide our customers in Australia with unparalleled connectivity to the Southeast Asia region to support their digital transformation and business expansion,” added Deutsch.

He said the benefits of new subsea cable systems multiplied when they are interconnected to and through Equinix. “In Australia, connecting our rich ecosystem of 275+ cloud service providers and 155+ networks to the ASC cable provides cost and latency advantages for our customers and an immediate marketplace of users of the cable for providers like Vocus.”

Moving forward, Equinix flagged that its key focus will center on building momentum to meet the rapidly increasing need for subsea cables through data centre design, partnerships and acquisitions.

“The Vocus terrestrial network has vast reach throughout Australia, New Zealand, and now into Asia,” said Vocus CEO Kevin Russell. “Combining the extensive interconnection ecosystems in Equinix with the far-reaching Vocus network, we will provide customers with easy and low-cost access to all of their partners from Singapore to major metropolitan cities in Australia.”

Key Facts

• The ASC is a 4,600-kilometre subsea cable that will connect Singapore and Australia and is expected to be completed and operational by Q1 FY19. The new pathway from Western Australia to Southeast Asia, and additional capacity will also serve to boost the strength of Australia’s Internet landscape.

• With direct access to ASC in Singapore and Australia, Equinix customers will be able to reap the benefits of interconnection to global markets and ecosystems through direct and private access to some 275 cloud providers, and a raft of service providers and business partners.

• Connecting in six metropolitan cities in Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane, the ASC cable will immediately provide more than 155 networks to enable customers to do business across the region.

• Current submarine cable projects that Equinix is engaged with include: SSCN (California – Sydney); AEConnect-1 (New York – London); Hibernia Express (New York – London); C-Lion1 (Germany – Finland); Trident (Australia – Indonesia – Singapore); Globenet (Florida – Brazil); Asia Pacific Gateway (China – Hong Kong – Japan – South Korea – Malaysia – Taiwan – Thailand – Vietnam – Singapore); Hawaiki Cable (U.S. – Australia – New Zealand); Gulf Bridge International Cable System (Middle East – Europe); FASTER (U.S. West Coast – Japan); Seabras-1 (New York – Sao Paulo); Monet (Florida – Brazil), Eastern Light (Nordic region), MAREA (U.S East Coast – Spain), BRUSA (U.S East Coast – Brazil) and ASC (Australia – Singapore), the newest project announced today.

 

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