Interview
We spoke to Ciena’s VP Global Submarine Solutions, Thomas Soerensen, at this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA event to discuss how the company is navigating the challenging global market, from geopolitics to supply chain issues
At this year’s Submarine Networks EMEA conference, there was undoubtedly an elephant in the room: geopolitics. With political tensions rising in numerous theatres around the world, governments are becoming increasingly interventionist in the submarine cable space, posing a major challenge to new subsea cable projects.
“We can’t help but talk about geopolitics,” explained Soerensen, noting the issue’s prevalence in Asia and the Indian Ocean, as well as in Europe. “We’re seeing more and more focus from local authorities and governments on the security of subsea cables as critical infrastructure.”
Against this volatile geopolitical backdrop, demand for connectivity services continues to boom, requiring the submarine cable industry to innovate. Indeed, numerous exciting technologies are coming to the fore to help meet the ever-increasing demand, from new types of fibre to new dry plant and submarine line terminal equipment.
“Right now, multicore fibre (MCF) is exciting and we’re seeing the first cable being deployed with that technology,” said Soerensen. “However, MCF itself is probably not the next technical revolution that we really need to take the industry forward – that might be hollow core fibre, it’s too early to tell!”
To hear more from Ciena’s Thomas Soerensen on the challenges and opportunities facing the submarine cable industry, check out the full interiew below.
Want to keep up with all of the latest developments in the submarine cable sector? Join the ecosystem in discussion at Submarine Networks EMEA 2024
Also in the news:
More than two-thirds of U.S. commercial sites have no optical fibre access
Viasat completes Inmarsat merger deal
EXATEL talks expansion into subsea connectivity sector
