Colt Technology Services has announced the successful completion of the deployment of a new dark fiber (G.652D/G.657) cable along the Channel Tunnel connecting London to Paris.
The infrastructure company confirmed the completion today, noting that it will help to support the growing demand for cloud computing and other digital services in both capital cities, through a seamless end-to-end service-level agreement.
According to Colt, the fiber optic cable deployed along the tunnel provides access to the highest number of fiber-connected data centers between the UK and mainland Europe.
The company claims that customers will have access to their 100Gbps/400Gbps Colt IQ network, supported by reliable low latency, high-bandwidth connectivity, and service guarantees through the tunnel.
“We are pleased to announce the successful completion of this step of this important project,” said Herve Jost, director of Eurotunnel/Getlink Connectivity Solutions, Colt Technology Services.
“Approximately 80 percent of the Internet traffic which runs between the UK and mainland Europe today travels through the Channel Tunnel. It is crucial to increase the bandwidth, enhance performance, bolster reliability, and fortify the security of our network. This is vital to ensure a continuous and uninterrupted flow of data, specifically to address peak demand and new bandwidth needs within the Channel Tunnel, driven by new technologies such as AI and Metaverse."
In September 2021, Colt signed a 25-year agreement with railway firm Getlink, the company which manages and operates the infrastructure of the tunnel, to install and operate a new fiber optic network spanning the Channel Tunnel.
At the time, Colt said that the agreement will bring new dark fiber and data services to the Channel Tunnel for the first time in a generation.
It was also revealed in March, that Colt, along with Exa Infrastructure are working together to upgrade the fiber infrastructure along the Channel Tunnel.
The timing of these fiber upgrades is critical given the Channel Tunnel was opened in May 1994, meaning that the contracts to install fiber in 1998 are now outdated.
While the Channel Tunnel connects London with Paris, it also offers routing flexibility to Amsterdam and Frankfurt, two of Europe's biggest data center markets.
