China Telecom has teamed up with Russian operator TransTeleCom (TTK) to launch the first connection between China and Europe based on 100G ultra long haul DWDM technology.
The companies have constructed a new 100Gbps gateway interface on the border between China and Russia, in the city of Manzhouli in China and Zabaikalsk in Russia.
The cable, which will be the industry's longest 100G terrestrial cable yet deployed, is expected to be ready for service by the end of the year.
The deployment will support the Chinese government ambition to build a Digital Silk Road connecting Asia to Europe as part of the One Belt One Road initiative.
China Telecom is developing a network that runs from China to Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Central Asian countries, and through Switzerland, Germany and the UK to the Atlantic Ocean.
“It is important to have a reliable terrestrial channel with low latency for our growing needs in data transmission between Europe and Asia,” China Telecom Global CEO Deng Xiaofeng said.
“TTK has one of the largest backbone networks in Russia, and is the trusted partner of China Telecom in the telecom transit market between Europe and Asia. The new route gives us an opportunity to offer the highest quality telecommunication services to our clients both inside and outside China.”