GlobeNet, a wholesale telecom service provider, launched a new subsea cable system called Malbec that connects Argentina and Brazil. Argentina has been advancing on the subsea cable front recently, according to media reports.
Though the Malbec project started in 2018, it is now the first new route to provide connectivity between both countries since 2001. It also provides a capacity bi-fold of what is currently available.
Landing stations are deployed at Praia Grande in Brazil and Las Toninas in Argentina. A reasonable number of customers are already activated on a system that has been designed to deliver 100G and 400G of capacity across the entire route. It also possesses resiliency and low latency. Alcatel Submarine Networks supplied the trunk cable between Rio de Janeiro and Las Toninas, consisting of six fibre pairs. Meanwhile, the branch to Praia Grande is made up of eight fibre pairs.
Philippe Perrier, chief technology officer of GlobeNet, had told the media that the network has the flexibility to select the submarine line terminal equipment from suitable suppliers. The network also features spatial division multiplexing (SDM) technology that increases the capacity of the entire cable than the capacity per fibre pair.
In April, Telxius, a neutral telecommunications infrastructure operator, planned to provide diverse subsea capacity between Argentina and Brazil through Tannat. This new submarine cable connects Santos in Brazil with Las Toninas in Argentina and is currently operating.
Earlier this month, Google also announced its plan to build Firmina. This open subsea cable will run from the East Coast of the United States to Las Toninas, Argentina, with additional landings in Praia Grande, Brazil and Punta del Este, Uruguay.