A multimillion-euro transatlantic cable system, said to be the most advanced of its type in the world, has landed in Co Mayo with the potential to boost employment in the west of Ireland.
The system, which has the capacity to handle up to a third of the world’s phone calls, connects Killala, Co Mayo, to New York and promises to make the west of Ireland a key telecommunications and data gateway.
The $300m cable is owned and operated by Irish company Aqua Comms, which provides capacity networks to global media, content providers and IT companies.
The cable was officially landed in Mayo yesterday, and will support global data centres, cloud-based networks and content providers. The AEConnect subsea cable will span 5,475km from Mayo to Long Island in New York and construction will be completed by December, with a view to beginning operations from the start of 2016.
As well as being the first and only dedicated modern subsea fibre optic cable system running directly from Ireland to the US, the system will also provide terrestrial connection running from Mayo to Dublin and then across the Irish Sea and on to London and Europe.
Aqua Comms chief financial officer Martin Roche yesterday outlined the project’s potential: “This is the most advanced transatlantic cable system in the world and will provide unprecedented capacity and reliability.
“The low latency and high reliability of AEConnect supports the bandwidth requirements of data centres, cloud-based networks and global content providers.
“Not only will this cable be able to handle up to one third of the world’s phonecalls, but it is being built so that we can increase its capabilities further in the years ahead as capacity demands around the world grow. We are building a diversified solution-based network on optical infrastructure, supporting America and Europe’s expanding data requirements for today and into the future. This is a system which will cover the needs of tomorrow, today,” Mr Roche said.
“It will also be the most secure transatlantic cable system, due to the carefully mapped route and the design built into the construction of this project. Following the successful completion of the landing of the cable in Killala we will now seek to lay the remaining sections of the cable over the coming months, completing the project by December. Once complete we believe this will be a major resource which will position Ireland and the Western region as a critical infrastructure hub,” he said.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who attended the landing of the cable in Killala, said it has the potential to provide new investment to the region.
“The mission of this Government is to get Ireland working again and to secure the recovery,” Mr Kenny said.
“The development of new digital infrastructure is essential to help create new jobs and new business opportunities across Ireland. This transatlantic cable is a remarkable project which has extensive positive implications for Mayo and the West, potentially opening up the entire region for new investment.
“It will make the West a key gateway in the flow of information and data across the Atlantic. The delivery of advanced technological infrastructure in the area will provide a platform for data centres, content providers and other businesses to set up their operations in the region,” Mr Kenny said.
The AEConnect cable will have the capacity to cover the entire European and American traffic currently in existence — with the potential to double its capacity within a few years as required.
Its initial capacity provides for more than 1.6m ultra high-definition video channels running simultaneously or more than 32m 4G wireless callers.
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