The value of Cable & Wireless’ £6.5 million
investment in the new HUGO network was underlined recently when one
of the older fibre optic links that previously provided the
backbone of the Channel Islands telecommunications was cut.
A cable between Jersey and the UK was severed
when a ship dragged its anchor during the severe gales in the
Channel at the end of January. It mirrored an almost identical
incident just two months ago that resulted in the loss of the same
link.
It is one of three cables jointly owned by
Cable & Wireless, BT, and Jersey Telecom, which provide a
triangular arrangement between the two Bailiwicks and the UK.
Following the accident, all calls were immediately transferred to
these other connections, with the switchover completed in less than
one twentieth of a second.
In the past, this system provided all
off-island connectivity. However since Cable & Wireless
invested in the HUGO network, Guernsey and Jersey have been linked
into the global telecom provider’s worldwide network, via new high
capacity, fibre optic connections to the UK and Continental
Europe.
These carry a significant proportion of the
Bailiwick’s telecommunications. This includes all Cable &
Wireless internet traffic (the vast majority of
the Bailiwick of Guernsey's IP bandwidth) and a large share of
local business communications, which were unaffected by the loss of
the older cable.
As well as offering additional resilience to
this system, the new HUGO network has sufficient capacity to
accommodate a 25-fold increase in the current volume of traffic
across the whole of the Channel Islands. This can also be further
increased to cope with additional demand in the future.
Cable & Wireless’ Chief Technical Officer,
Russell Sharman, said these new links put the island’s
telecommunications on a par with the world’s leading business
centres.
“For the Bailiwick to compete successfully in
an increasingly global market, the island’s telecommunications
infrastructure needs to measure up against major cities and
business centres across the world. That is precisely what HUGO is
delivering,” he said.
The new network has also provided a range of
other benefits. Since it came into operation, businesses in
Guernsey have been able to access a range of new and improved
services, with faster connection speeds, higher capacity and price
reductions of up to 30%.
The additional capacity is also helping to meet
the sharp rise in off-island data communications, as a result of
islanders increasing use of the Internet and the introduction of
faster broadband services.
Mr Sharman said modern resilient,
telecommunications were also vital in attracting new business to
the island. Local communications and IT providers have seen an
increase in demand for data centre hosting facilities in Guernsey,
which require fast, secure and high capacity links to support high
volumes of traffic.
Existing businesses, and particularly the
finance industry, also rely on high quality, resilient
telecommunications for most of their essential operations.
“These new connections serve as a signpost to
the island. We have already seen how this is attracting new
investment and diversification, as companies look to locate
operations here and take advantage of the island’s world-class
links,” said Mr Sharman.
“The investment that we have made underlines
Cable & Wireless’ commitment to the Bailiwick, and to
delivering the latest, world-class services to homes and businesses
in these islands. This will help to ensure the Bailiwick remains
competitive and also attractive to new businesses.”
A repair ship completed the reconnection of the
broken cable on Sunday 9 February, and it is now back in
operation.
Note to editors:-
HUGO stands for High capacity, Undersea
Guernsey Optical-fibre network