Apollo (cable system)
Apollo is an optical submarine communications cable system crossing the Atlantic Ocean, owned by Apollo Submarine Cable System Ltd (a joint venture between Cable & Wireless Worldwide and Alcatel).[2] It consists of 2 segments North and South, creating two fully diverse transatlantic paths.
| Apollo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owners: Apollo Submarine Cable System Ltd | |
| Landing points | |
| Total length | 13,000 km |
| Topology | Two fully diverse paths |
| Design capacity | over 3.2 Tbit/s per Leg |
| Currently lit capacity | unknown |
| Technology | Fibre Optic DWDM |
| Date of first use | early 2003 |
In early 2006, Level 3 Communications announced its purchase of 300 Gbit/s of capacity between Apollo North and Apollo South with an option to purchase up 300 Gbit/s of future capacity. This acquisition gives Level 3 a transatlantic path that does not pass through either London or New York City, which is desirable to carriers due to network diversity concerns. This purchase represents the single largest transaction of sub-sea capacity in history without laying new cable.
Security breach
In February 2018, The Sunday Times reported that the infrastructure for the UK landing site of the Apollo, GLO-1 and Europe India Gateway cables had been found almost entirely unprotected. Their reporter was able to reach the premises without being challenged, and found the door to the generator room unlocked and left ajar. Vodafone, who manage the facility, said that he had not reached critical equipment and "would not have been able to interrupt the operation of the facility."[3]
References
- Apollo Submarine Cable System (3 October 2008). "Submarine Cable Awareness Chart: Apollo North & Apollo South Submarine Cable System" (PDF).
- Submarine Telecoms Forum, Inc. (July 2012). "Submarine Cable Industry Report Issue 1" (PDF). p. 36. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- Gabriel Pogrund (4 February 2018). "Data-cable security scandal: It's easier to enter than a public library". The Sunday Times. p. 9.