Unlocking the broadband opportunity
FALCON, a major new submarine cable system announced on 17/02/04, will deliver the Gulf region's first self-healing submarine network loop system. It is also designed to provide a platform for delivering advanced broadband services to and from the Middle East, India and Southern Asia - particularly China. The system will extend from Egypt to Hong Kong via India, with initial service delivery expected by Feb '05.
Design and Reach
When completed, the FALCON system is expected to extend over 15,000km.
FALCON will include the Gulf region's first self-healing submarine network ring, providing all countries connected to the high-capacity cable with extremely reliable, high quality connectivity. Countries that have the potential to directly access this resilient connectivity include Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Qatar and Iraq. All of these countries have expressed interest in joining FALCON and most are in advanced discussions with FLAG Telecom regarding their participation. Branching units can be added along the entire FALCON cable route to allow more countries in the region to connect to the system as their communications needs continue to expand.
Spokespersons from major operators commenting on the FALCON project, said:
OmanTel: "Oman is geographically ideally located at the heart of the FALCON route, providing important communication links from the world's business centres to India and Asia to the east and to Egypt in the west. We believe in the FALCON project and that it will meet the burgeoning broadband demand from the fast growing Gulf and wider Middle East region."
Batelco: "FALCON will be the first cable system to bring fully protected connectivity to the Gulf and will allow Bahrain to diversify its current capacity arrangements. FALCON will also have many times more capacity than the existing regional links and will enable Batelco to confidently provide new services to customers, at faster speeds and more cost-effectively than before."
Telecom Egypt: "As a key regional provider of advanced services, Telecom Egypt has committed to participate in the FALCON project. Telecom Egypt has been a natural hub for many international cable crossings. FALCON allows us to both consolidate our strategic position and provides a catalyst for supporting the introduction of broadband, ADSL and other such initiatives throughout Egypt."
Ministry of Communications, Kuwait: "With the geographic position of Kuwait at the head of the Gulf, FALCON will enable us to address several strategic development opportunities and offer resilient connectivity to support advanced broadband applications throughout the area."
The western link of the FALCON system will land at Telecom Egypt's Landing Station at Suez, where the cable will integrate with FLAG's global network. FALCON will then follow a route through the Red Sea along the East African coast and across the top of the Arabian Sea before landing in Oman.
From Oman, FALCON will cross the Arabian Sea to a new Reliance-owned landing station at Mumbai, India. At this point FALCON will interconnect seamlessly to Reliance's pan-India 80,000 km high-speed backbone network linking approx 1100 cities and towns across the length and breadth of the country. At Chennai on the East coast of India, where a second Reliance landing station is being built, FALCON will again become a submarine system, linking India to Hong Kong, where the cable will once again integrate with FLAG's global network.
As well as increasing our network reach and further enhancing resilience in key areas, the system will interconnect seamlessly with the rest of our global network.
Status
The project was announced on 17/2/04. Early engineering work has been completed, and preparations for marine surveys are well advanced. We expect initial service delivery by February 2005.
