2010 Presentations & Papers

The growth in utilizing fiber optics in offshore infrastructure introduces some additional requirements & needs for special engineering, compared to traditional telecommunication subsea deployments.
In particular, the dynamic cable section & the associated components relevant for platform installations call for extended engineering, analysis & qualification testing. The reliability requirements are high, due to the cost & risk related to replacement campaigns.
This paper describes the various stages of the development & manufacturing of a fiber optic riser cable.

Panelists:
Mick Green (BT), Mohamed Elnawawy (Telecom Egypt), John Hibbard (Hibbard Consulting), John Russell (Verizon Business), Laura Andrew (Australian Government Attorney-General's Department)

Abstract: In a world where some 96% of all global communications pass through submarine cables; it is the intent of this Round Table to look at the Submarine Cable Environment in a multifaceted way and within the broadest definition of the word Environment. It is not the intent of this roundtable to avoid being provocative or controversial, or maybe even politically incorrect. The environments to be explored include:

(i) The environment within which the world financial institutions and commerce operate; an environment that is critically dependant on the reliability, performance and resilience of submarine cable networks; an environment within which there had been a singular lack of appreciation of the role and criticality of submarine cable networks in enabling the world conduct its financial business until recent catastrophic natural events resulted in simultaneous multi system failures; dramatically impacting the flow of all communications traffic, and which resulted in considerable negative press coverage ranging from the surprise “that the world was still dependant on old fashioned submarine cables” to alarm and the plain indignant.

(ii) The political, legal and regulatory environment that controls and in some cases impedes the planning and construction of new submarine cable systems; an environment within which the implementation of new systems has seen serious schedule delays and cost overruns; which may in part result from a lack of appreciation of the role of submarine cable networks in global communication; concerns over national security; and a less than full appreciation of international law as provided for under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The environment of Information Technology; global geopolitics and social responsibility is an environment within which there is a widening gap between the growth in development of the IT haves and leaving behind of the IT have nots. Within this environment; can or should development funding agencies and/or the global community play or continue to play a role in the enabling of underdeveloped and/or low population communities as has already been seen in Africa; and if so what would/should be the extent of such support?

It is the physical environment within which submarine networks need to survive; against threats from natural hazards such as earthquakes; submarine volcanoes and submarine landslides, to manmade hazards such as fishing activity, offshore resource exploitation to the seemingly mundane but nonetheless significant hazards posed from the anchoring of ships. It is the physical environment that is the reality that must be addressed and assessed in to the planning for system resilience, meeting the demands posed by compliance with the political, legal and regulatory environment, and in assessing the cost of construction and the all important operation and maintenance costs of low traffic demand “thin” systems serving the underdeveloped and low population communities.

It is the International Committee for the Protection of Cables (ICPC) that plays a pivotal role in developing policies and recommendations designed to optimize protection of the critical submarine network infrastructure. The ICPC through their Chairman Mick Green will provide both an insight into recent initiatives of the ICPC and provide a thread that will link the Submarine Cable Environment theme of this Round Table.

The exceptional requirements on robustness & reliability in an inaccessible environment have forced the submarine cable industry to meet the highest demands in regard to quality & qualification.

Within just the last few years, it appears that the cables & their ancillary equipment have become a commodity in their own right alongside the complex transmission equipment, highly developed optical components & the expensive implementation technologies. But if you take a look behind the scenes, you can see that the development & qualification of submarine cables is a rule model of engineering art.

Panelists:
Representatives of the IWG including John Horne (SubOptic), Michael Carter (Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks), Mike Conradi (Kemp Little, LLP), Nikki Shone (Southern Cross Cables Ltd), and Motoyoshi Tokioka (NEC Corporation).

Abstract:
At SubOptic 2007, in one of the sessions, four presenters rose to speak about the opportunities for enhancing competition and effectiveness in submarine cable projects. One of those presented the case for all constituencies in the industry to get together to prepare a model construction contract to be offered as a starting point to the industry, to optimise the process of moving from tender to agreed contract. Afterwards, a number of attendees from across the industry expressed their view that not only was this collectively possible, but that they would support such an initiative on a totally voluntary basis. After taking soundings across the industry, which confirmed interest in the idea, the SubOptic EC sponsored an Interim Activities Working Group to take on the production of a document to benefit the whole industry.

This workshop will introduce the completed result to the industry and explain the potential advantages to be gained from use of the model contract. It will also explain how the IAWG approached the task of producing a fair and balanced document, as well as the reasoning on how a 16-page model contract can serve the industry better than the multiplicity of 99-page templates that are currently used as the basis to commence procurement. To the sceptical, the workshop, hosted by the IAWG, will be interactive, will include vigorous debate and will clarify why the submarine cable industry, (steeped in procurement competition since 1866) will enhance that tradition for the 21st Century, and finally catch up with much younger construction industries who long ago discovered the benefits of a common contracting starting point. Come along and have your say!

We have developed a command-control type of Power Switching Branching Unit (PSBU) for submarine cable applications. This paper describes the BU feature including components & key electrical circuits, performance of highly reliable LSI device, & re-configuration operation of electrical power feeding paths. In addition, the qualification test on the entire control system in actual power-feeding environment has been successfully demonstrated, using terminal equipment (power feeding equipment & command signal transmitter) & the BU.