Equinix and Southern Cross Cables to link internet in New Zealand and Australia with the U.S.

Equinix has partnered with Southern Cross Cables to link the internet in New Zealand and Australia with the U.S. The plan is to boost network capacity by five-fold.

The aim is to enhance trans-Pacific connectivity and meet the surging demand for low-latency data transmission. Equinix is a big digital infrastructure company that connects data centers around the world. Equinix will provide interconnectivity for the Southern Cross NEXT submarine cable system.

The SX NEXT cable system is set to improve Southern Cross’ Trans-Pacific networks by increasing their aggregate capacity by approximately 500%. This significant boost in capacity will facilitate faster and more efficient data transfers, making it an ideal choice for industries that rely heavily on seamless connectivity, such as cloud services, content providers, and e-commerce companies.

Equinix’s cable landing station (CLS) architecture will serve as the gateway for the SX NEXT cable, enabling rapid provisioning and cost savings for Southern Cross. Equinix’s global presence, expertise in subsea infrastructure, and access to rich ecosystems of networks, clouds, and IT service providers make it an ideal partner for Southern Cross.

“By supplementing existing trans-Pacific routes, the Southern Cross NEXT cable provides seamless and accelerated interconnection across Platform Equinix, in turn, boosting the digital economy in those regions,” said Jim Poole, vice president of business development at Equinix, in a statement.

One of the key advantages of the SX NEXT cable is its ability to offer the lowest-latency path from Australia and New Zealand to Los Angeles in the United States. By connecting to Equinix’s International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Los Angeles (LA4), the cable system provides ultra-fast data transfers, catering to the increasing demand for low-latency connectivity in the digital economy.

Equinix’s collaboration with Southern Cross aligns with their shared commitment to sustainability. By designing for sustainability and embracing shared metrics recommended by Sustainability Subsea Networks, both companies aim to reduce the carbon footprint of subsea cables, ensuring a greener and more environmentally friendly digital infrastructure.

The release of the 400GbE capability earlier this year on the Southern Cross network further enhances the connectivity options for customers. They can now take advantage of secure, low-latency 400G data center interconnections between Equinix facilities in Sydney, Australia, and the U.S. West Coast.

Over the past three years, Equinix has secured 50 subsea cable projects and is currently tracking over 60 projects with anticipated go-live dates within the next two years.

Equinix’s footprint of 250 IBX data centers in 71 global markets across 32 countries positions it as a key player in providing low-latency interconnection for transporting the ever-increasing volumes of internet traffic.

The need for additional capacity between Australia and the United States is driven by the growing demand for cloud services, content, digital media, and e-commerce capabilities. The Australian digital economy has experienced significant growth, with content providers accounting for almost 78% of trans-Pacific bandwidth in 2022. This growth has prompted the Australian government to invest an additional A$1.2 billion to further develop the digital economy by 2030.

According to the Global Interconnection Index (GXI) 2023, published by Equinix, the global interconnection bandwidth is projected to reach 27,762+ terabits per second (Tbps) by 2025, reflecting a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40%. This exponential growth highlights organizations’ need to implement future-proof infrastructure to support their evolving business requirements.

“With the ever-increasing demand for data transmission and the burgeoning digital economies of the Asia-Pacific region and North America, subsea cables have become critical infrastructure,” said Tim Stronge, vice president of research at TeleGeography, in a statement. These undersea networks are designed to handle immense data volumes at lightning-fast speeds, facilitating seamless international communication and powering the growth of industries like cloud computing, e-commerce, and digital entertainment.”