Telxius and Ciena have achieved a groundbreaking milestone in transatlantic connectivity by completing the world’s first live single-wavelength data transmission at 1.3 terabits per second (Tbps) across the Atlantic Ocean. This historic feat was accomplished using Telxius’s 6,600-km Marea submarine cable, which links Virginia Beach in the United States to Bilbao, Spain.
Powered by Ciena’s advanced WaveLogic 6 Extreme (WL6e) optical technology, the transmission also set a new record for spectral efficiency at 7.0 bits per second per hertz (bps/Hz), the highest ever recorded on a transatlantic route.
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This breakthrough comes amidst surging global data center traffic and escalating demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI) applications, cloud services, and video streaming, underscoring the critical need for ultra-high-capacity networks.
Carlos Dasi, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Telxius, said, “We are committed to continually upgrading our network with new and enhanced systems to better support our customers. With advancements like Ciena’s WaveLogic 6 Extreme, deploying more capacity in the most efficient way possible is now a reality. This latest milestone demonstrates our ability to deliver that capacity across even the vastest of distances in today’s bandwidth-hungry digital economy.”
The Marea cable, one of the highest-capacity subsea cables worldwide, is jointly owned by Telxius, Microsoft, and Meta. The integration of WL6e technology further strengthens Telxius’s position as a leader in global subsea connectivity, addressing the growing bandwidth demands fueled by AI, video, and cloud applications.
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“This achievement with Telxius is the latest in a series of Ciena industry-firsts in coherent optics,” added Thomas Soerensen, Vice President, Global Submarine Solutions, Ciena. “WL6e will help Telxius provide high-capacity, diverse, and low-latency routes across the Atlantic, and will enable it to stay ahead of the evolving needs of its customers as demand for AI, content, video, and cloud applications continues to grow.”
Built on cutting-edge 3nm silicon, Ciena’s WL6e transceiver also delivers a 50% reduction in space and power consumption per bit, a vital advantage for submarine network operators aiming to scale efficiently.
Telxius plans to expand the deployment of this technology across its global submarine cable network throughout 2025 and beyond, setting the stage for a new era of ultra-high-capacity international connectivity.
