SMM Network News: submarine optical cable has become the global "submarine information lifeline" and the Internet "central nervous system". The pattern of the three powers in the cable industry, the United States, Japan and Europe, has also ushered in new changes-- Chinese submarine cable construction enterprises have become a "dark horse", not only with first-class technology but also occupying a growing global market share.
According to the forecast of TeleGeography, an industry analyst, the market size of the new submarine cable communication network will reach 3.05 billion US dollars in 2020. Before 2000, 40% of the world's submarine cables were built, but now the average life is close to the upper limit, and the upgrading of submarine cables is inevitable.
The construction of submarine optical cable is not just as simple as "pulling a line", it includes laying, relay, repair and other links, involving submarine operations, maritime transport, power, network and other fields, and requires the close cooperation of transnational and multi-sectors. it is also recognized as one of the most complex and difficult large-scale projects in the world. Today, there are only a handful of countries in the world that are capable of building submarine cables.
It is understood that there are mainly three so-called "first echelons": Alcatel-Lucent of France, (NEC) of Nippon Electric Co., Ltd., and (SubCom), an undersea electronic communications company owned by Tyco of the United States.
In contrast, a number of Chinese submarine cable companies have become the "dark horse" of the same industry in the world in recent years. Huawei Ocean and other enterprises have built China into one of the most important international submarine cable communication centers in the world in more than 10 years.
It is reported that Huawei Ocean, which was founded in 2008, has participated in nearly 100 submarine cable laying or upgrading projects, and is rapidly catching up with the top three in the United States, France and Japan. The company's global market share has risen from less than 5 per cent to 20 per cent. Two transatlantic fiber optic cables have also been upgraded in recent years: one from South Africa to the United Kingdom and the other in the Bahamas and Azores.
Gao Junshi, director of the Cable Institute of China Mobile Design Institute, believes that in terms of technical capability, there is no problem for Chinese enterprises, but large-scale submarine optical cable construction includes a lot of contract management, risk avoidance, and other aspects, which should be an area in urgent need of improvement for Chinese enterprises.
Gao Junshi said that the current situation of China's submarine cable construction is not commensurate with China's network power status and planning. From the point of view of the global submarine optical cable communication network, China is only a branch rather than a trunk line, let alone a regional node, and the relevant submarine cable is only in the stage of meeting its own use, and basically does not play a pivotal role in undertaking the relevant transit traffic. With the continuous increase of international exchanges, there will be an increasing demand for information transmission in international communications, financial settlement, trade and so on. Strengthening the construction of international submarine cable infrastructure is conducive to ensuring the autonomy of the international information superhighway and enhancing China's influence.
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