Enterprise Network Infrastructure: Design, Performance & Security

Eastern Light expands Nordic fibre capacity

Eastern Light, a Stockholm-based independent operator building and owning long-haul dark fibre submarine cable routes, has started construction of the Nordic Corridor, a new subsea fibre cable system connecting Sweden and Finland. The project includes the SF-II subsea connection and represents an investment of approximately €30 million (£26 million). Combined with the company’s existing SF-I cable system, the Nordic Corridor is intended to increase digital communications capacity between the two countries. Eastern Light currently operates the SF-I subsea cable between Sweden and Finland, which contains 144 fibres. The new SF-II system will add a further 288 fibres through a combination of terrestrial and subsea infrastructure. According to the company, the expanded system is designed to meet increasing demand for digital capacity across the Nordic and Baltic regions, particularly as data centre development accelerates. Mikael Vesterlund, COO of Eastern Light, says, “We are seeing rapidly growing demand for digital capacity in the Baltic Sea region, driven primarily by investments in data centres across the Nordics. "Several of the existing cable systems are old and are beginning to reach full utilisation. That is why we need to expand digital capacity between the countries. The Nordic Corridor is an important step in meeting this development.” New cable route designed around resilience Eastern Light says the SF-II deployment will take place in several phases. The first stage, extending to Finnish territorial waters near the Åland archipelago, was completed in May. The company states that the cable route has been designed to remain within national waters, reducing risks associated with international routes and simplifying future repair work if required. Eastern Light also says the Nordic Corridor is owned and financed by Nordic stakeholders. Mikael continues, “The Nordic Corridor is a project of critical importance to society. In the event of security incidents, data must be able to take alternative routes. "That is why we are now strengthening the robustness of the system by building a new fibre connection between Sweden and Finland. More cables are needed.” The SF-II project will span approximately 480km and has an estimated operational lifespan of around 50 years. The subsea cable itself will weigh approximately 566 metric tonnes.

'External threats a rising cause of outages for data centres'

External infrastructure failures and outages linked to fibre and connectivity issues are becoming more prominent for data centres, according to new research from the Uptime Institute, a US-based independent data centre standards and certification body. Despite that, on-site outages for data centres have declined for the fifth consecutive year, with approximately one in 10 noting that their last outages had a serious or severe impact. The cost of major outages continued to rise, with 57% stating that their most recent major outage cost over $100,000 (£74,800) and one in five reporting a cost of over $1 million (£748,000). Richard Petrie, CTO of the London Internet Exchange (LINX), comments, “Networking and connectivity continue to sit at the top of the most common causes of IT outages, reinforcing the importance of resilience in this area. "As organisations face growing pressure from network congestion, external threats, and increasing reliance on third-party providers, resilience across both network and data centre infrastructure is becoming critical. "While it’s encouraging to see on-site outages declining as infrastructure providers continue to prioritise resilience, the risks posed by external failures mean organisations still need robust redundancy policies in place for when outages do occur. "The backbone of a strong redundancy strategy is a secondary fabric that allows data to be rerouted during periods of disruption or risk, helping organisations remain operational even when the primary network is compromised. "By providing multiple options to route traffic, organisations can strengthen resilience and help networks stay online.” Power failures a contributing a factor The leading cause of impactful outages was power, with failures involving UPS systems, transfer switches, and generators remaining prominent. Worsening grid constraints and high-density workloads were also found to contribute to outages as a newer challenge. To adapt, the research outlined that operators are adapting investment strategies towards automation and control systems in order to manage complexity, despite acknowledging that more automation can cause different classes of problems. In line with the causes of outages, resilience assessments were found to focus more on internal systems than on external and systemic risks. Andy Lawrence, founding member and Executive Director of Uptime Intelligence, says, “Outages overall have slowed down and, overall, digital infrastructure is remarkably resilient. But further resiliency gains are becoming harder to achieve. “We believe that over time, failures will increasingly not be the result of a single point of failure, but instead be linked to complex interactions between systems, including software, networks, and external dependencies. "While site-based electrical and mechanical infrastructure remain a critical building block that needs to be resilient, digital infrastructure is becoming more distributed with outages originating outside the data centre, including those tied to power availability, network connectivity, or the reliance on external cloud services playing a larger role.”

Zayo Europe expands network into Genoa

Network infrastructure provider Zayo Europe has expanded its Southern European network with a new point of presence (PoP) in Genoa, Italy, strengthening connectivity between Mediterranean subsea cable systems and its terrestrial fibre network. The new point of presence is located within Quadrivium Digital’s QGEN01 facility and extends Zayo Europe’s existing Italian footprint alongside sites in Milan and Rome. According to the company, Genoa is becoming an increasingly important landing point for subsea cable systems connecting Europe with Asia (including the Middle East) and Africa. Zayo Europe says the expansion is intended to support growing traffic flows across the Mediterranean region while providing alternative connectivity routes into major European hubs including Frankfurt and Paris, as well as interconnection points in Barcelona and Lisbon. Subsea connectivity expanding network diversity The company states that the new route options are designed to provide additional network diversity and reduce reliance on traditional connectivity routes through Marseille. Quadrivium Digital says the deployment also gives customers within the QGEN01 facility direct access to Zayo Europe’s wider network and more than 600 connected data centres across Europe. Aditya Ayyagari, CEO of Quadrivium Digital, comments, “This partnership positions QGEN01 as a key interconnection hub in the Mediterranean ecosystem. “By combining direct access to new subsea systems with Zayo Europe’s diverse terrestrial routes, we are enabling customers to efficiently reach key traffic hubs like Barcelona and Lisbon, as well as the US, while achieving greater route diversity and lower latency across global networks.” Colman Deegan, CEO of Zayo Europe, adds, “The digital map of Europe is evolving and our expansion into Genoa is a direct response to our customers’ need for greater resilience and choice. “By connecting this important Mediterranean landing point to our 400G-enabled backbone, we are creating a seamless bridge between subsea systems and our terrestrial infrastructure. "Ultimately, this ensures our customers have access to the scalable, high-capacity connectivity required to support the next wave of cloud and AI-driven growth.” For more from Zayo Europe, click here.

NEC completes Pacific submarine cable system

Japanese multinational technology company NEC Corporation has completed construction of the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS), a submarine cable network linking the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, and Nauru. The approximately 2,250km cable system connects Tarawa in Kiribati to Nauru, before extending to Kosrae and Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The infrastructure has now been handed over to FSM Telecommunications Cable Corporation, Bwebweriki Net Limited, and Cenpac Corporation. According to NEC, the project provides the first optical submarine cable connection for Kosrae, Tarawa, and Nauru, which had previously relied primarily on satellite communications. The company says the new cable system is designed to improve internet connectivity, reliability, and latency across the region, supporting applications including video communications and digital payment services. Submarine cable boosts regional connectivity The EMCS project was supported by the governments of Australia, Japan, and the United States through grant funding initiatives focused on Pacific infrastructure development. Gordon Segal, Chief Executive Officer of FSM Telecommunications Cable Corporation and Chairman of the EMCS Management Committee, comments, “Kosrae was the only state in the FSM without a submarine cable connection. "We are truly delighted that the construction of the EMCS has now provided digital connectivity to all four states of the FSM. “This infrastructure development not only advances the digitalisation of the regional economy, but also dramatically improves residents' access to information and services. "NEC's strong execution capabilities and high reliability have been essential to the project’s success, and we hold them in high regard.” Bwanouia Aberaam, Officer in Charge of Bwebweriki Net, adds, “We are pleased to see the completion of resilient communications infrastructure in Kiribati and the Micronesia region. "With this vital foundation supporting the digitalisation of the regional economy now in place, access to diverse information and essential services will significantly improve going forward.” Zikki Eoe, Chairlady of Cenpac Corporation, notes, “This project is Nauru's first undersea cable, enabling the provision of high-speed, reliable internet services to residents. We have high expectations that this will significantly accelerate Nauru's economic development and digitalisation going forwards.” Tomonori Uematsu, Managing Director of NEC’s Submarine Network Division, concludes, “We are truly delighted to have completed this new telecommunications infrastructure in the Pacific Island region. "We consider it a highly significant achievement that NEC's long-established optical submarine cable technology has helped strengthen the region's communications environment, contributing to the realisation of safe and prosperous lives.” NEC states that it has installed more than 400,000km of submarine cable infrastructure globally during its 60 years in the sector.

Lightpath announces new long-haul US fibre route

Lightpath, a New York-based fibre network and connectivity provider, has announced plans to build a new long-haul fibre route in the US, connecting Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. The approximately 392-mile (630-kilometre) route will include 327 miles (526 kilometres) of newly constructed underground multi-conduit fibre infrastructure spanning three US states. According to Lightpath, the project will be delivered in phases, with full end-to-end completion targeted for the end of 2028. The company says the route will connect two rapidly growing North American data centre markets and will incorporate eight LightCube Data Centers facilities, including seven new sites. Lightpath states that the infrastructure will support services including conduit access, dark fibre, colocation, high-capacity wavelengths, and connectivity services for hyperscale, carrier, and enterprise customers. New long-haul route for AI infrastructure growth Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath, comments, “The Columbus-to-Chicago corridor reflects sustained hyperscale demand for high-capacity, long-haul fibre built to production-grade standards. “Connecting two of the world’s fastest-growing data centre markets on our own, purpose-built infrastructure positions Lightpath to support the next generation of AI and cloud workloads at scale.” According to the company, the new route builds on existing fibre infrastructure in Columbus and follows its acquisition of a 323-mile (520-kilometre) fibre system between New York and Ashburn in late 2024. The southern section of the route, connecting Columbus and South Bend, is expected to be the first phase brought online. Tim Haverkate, Chief Commercial Officer at Lightpath, suggests, “Building this corridor from the ground up - on a timeline driven by a real anchor award - demonstrates what our team is capable of delivering.” Lightpath says it is also assessing additional in-line amplifier locations along the route to support future capacity expansion. For more from Lightpath, click here.

Siemon's DACs, AOCs, and Transceivers: Why validation matters

Siemon's comprehensive range of Direct Attach Cables (DACs), Active Optical Cables (AOCs), and optical transceivers delivers the high-speed interconnects modern data centres demand. Supporting speeds from 10G through to 400G and beyond, these pluggable solutions offer the flexibility and density needed to keep pace with today's AI-driven workloads and mission-critical applications. However, deploying these components without proper validation is a costly risk. Malfunctioning transceivers can cause high bit-error rates, loss of connectivity, slow network performance, and reduced signal strength - yet many discarded transceivers are in perfect working condition, presumed faulty without proper diagnosis. This is where the EXFO FTBx-88480 proves indispensable. Powered by EXFO's iOptics application, it assesses transceiver health in under three minutes, supporting OSFP, QSFP28, QSFP56, SFP28, AOC, and DAC form factors. The result: validated Siemon infrastructure, reduced waste, and lower operational costs. Networks Centre is a distributor for both EXFO and Siemon, and the company says its technical support team would be happy to advise on the right products to meet your requirements. Find out more at Networks Centre's website or get in touch via email at enquiries@networkscentre.com or by phone on +44 (0)1403 754233. For more from Networks Centre, click here.

RETN expands Balkans fibre backbone

RETN, an independent global network service provider, has launched a new backbone route connecting Drobeta, Bucharest, Iași, and Chișinău, creating an additional connectivity path across Romania and into Moldova. Delivered as a single, end-to-end backbone route, the expansion provides an alternative physical connectivity option to existing regional IP transit corridors in Eastern Europe. The new route forms part of RETN’s wider strategy to expand its optical network infrastructure across Central and Eastern Europe. By linking Romania and Moldova with the company’s existing Balkans corridor between Budapest, Timișoara, and Sofia, the project introduces additional geographical route diversity across the region. The backbone also enables alternative routing into Ukraine via Moldova and into the Balkans through Bulgaria, offering additional routing options for regional and international traffic flows. New routing options across Eastern Europe Olena Lutsenko, Business Development Director at RETN, comments, “This project is an important step in strengthening connectivity resilience in Romania. “Bucharest and Iași are rapidly developing hubs for business, education, and technology, and demand for resilient, high-capacity infrastructure is rising fast. “By delivering a direct route from Timișoara to Bucharest and onward to Chișinău, we are enabling faster, more scalable access to the region from the Balkans, Ukraine, and Central and Eastern Europe in general - for operators, ISPs, enterprises, and international customers.” The expansion comes amid continued fibre infrastructure growth across Romania and Eastern Europe. According to the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications of Romania (ANCOM), Romania recorded 6.9 million fixed broadband connections in mid-2025, with 37% capable of gigabit speeds. The regulator also reported continued growth in demand for ultra-high-speed internet services and increasing fixed broadband traffic per capita. Internet adoption across Romania was estimated at approximately 94% of the population in late 2025. For more from RETN, click here.

euNetworks launches Frankfurt–Strasbourg fibre route

euNetworks, a European bandwidth infrastructure company, has launched a new long-haul fibre route connecting Frankfurt and Strasbourg, expanding its Super Highway network across Europe. The 247km route links two key connectivity hubs and has been developed in response to rising demand for AI and cloud infrastructure across the FLAP-D region, which includes Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin. The route provides direct, low-latency connectivity between the two cities, with access to more than 76 data centres in Frankfurt and further connections to over 600 sites across euNetworks’ wider European footprint. Built using new high-capacity fibre, the route has been designed to avoid congested areas, improving resilience and offering additional network diversity. Supporting capacity and resilience in FLAP-D The expansion addresses increased traffic between Frankfurt, one of the world’s most interconnected network hubs, and Strasbourg, an established interconnection point for long-haul routes. As part of the build, new infrastructure has been introduced along the route, including upgraded intermediate line amplifier sites designed to improve energy efficiency. The fibre deployed is also intended to support improved transmission performance and lower operational costs. Marisa Trisolino, CEO at euNetworks, comments, "euNetworks is relentless in our pursuit to address Europe’s accelerating demand for bandwidth, and we will continue to develop our state-of-the-art networks where our customers need it the most." The Frankfurt–Strasbourg link is the sixth route to be delivered as part of euNetworks’ Super Highway programme, which focuses on connecting major data centre markets across the FLAP-D region.

How 5G-A GigaUplink kept a robot half-marathon on track

Chinese telecommunications operator China Unicom and Chinese multinational technology company Huawei's landmark deployment at the 2026 Beijing E-Town event demonstrates what high-uplink network architecture can deliver when the stakes - and the robot runners - are at full sprint. When 21 humanoid robots lined up alongside human runners at the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon on 19 April, the spectacle represented far more than a novelty sporting occasion. Behind the scenes, a sophisticated 5G-A network was working hard to ensure that each machine could navigate, sense its environment, and communicate in real time - all while travelling at speeds of up to 10 metres per second. The event, held at Tongming Lake Park and Nanhaizi Park in Beijing's E-Town (Yizhuang) district, marked a genuine global first: human runners and humanoid robots competing simultaneously on the same course. It also served as a compelling proof of concept for how high-uplink 5G-A connectivity can solve some of the most demanding real-world engineering challenges in embodied AI. The engineering challenge Running a humanoid robot half-marathon is not simply a mechanical feat. Each robot must receive and transmit a continuous stream of HD video, environmental sensor data, and positioning information. Remote-control robots require stable, low-latency command links, while the autonomous navigation group demands even more: real-time decision-making support, precise positioning to sub-decimetre accuracy, and dynamic obstacle avoidance - all at pace, over a 21km course, in a densely populated public space. Add to that the media requirements - 4K and 8K live broadcasting, real-time data feeds, and tens of thousands of spectators uploading content simultaneously - and the uplink demands become extraordinary. Each robot alone requires approximately 10 Mbps of sustained uplink bandwidth, and the network must support more than 40 concurrent service scenarios without degradation. In short, this was not a use case that a conventional network architecture was built to handle. The network solution China Unicom Beijing, supported by Huawei's radio access technology, deployed a 5G-A premium network along the full length of the course. The solution centres on 5G-A three-component carrier (3CC) aggregation across 3.5GHz and 2.1GHz bands, using Huawei's Extended Large Aperture Array (ELAA) technology. This combination delivers a peak uplink speed of 677 Mbps and an average of 155 Mbps, with end-to-end latency averaging just 30 ms. Crucially, uplink speeds of 20 Mbps or above were maintained more than 99.6% of the time - a figure that underlines the reliability required for safety-critical autonomous systems operating at speed. Dedicated uplink network slices were reserved along the course to prioritise robot connectivity and guarantee positioning accuracy to sub-decimetre level. At the high-density start and finish areas, carrier priority technology ensured that robot and media traffic was not crowded out by spectator demand. The result was consistent, stable connectivity for both the autonomous navigation robots and the remote-control group throughout the full 21km route. Underpinning the physical network is an intelligent operations and maintenance (O&M) platform, which uses AI algorithms to monitor equipment remotely, predict faults at millisecond timescales, and optimise resource allocation dynamically. By combining dynamic and static management, the system enables continuous, unattended operation and real-time adaptation to shifting traffic patterns across the course. China Unicom has built this into a broader ICT-integrated smart operations architecture - one that gives the network, as the company puts it, a "smart brain". What it delivered The results speak clearly to what a well-engineered, high-uplink network can achieve. Robots in the autonomous navigation group executed precise perception and rapid decision-making throughout the course, supported by sub-decimetre positioning accuracy and guaranteed low-latency data paths. Live broadcast teams delivered 4K and 8K feeds without interruption, and spectators experienced consistently smooth connectivity despite the event's scale. Field testing recorded a peak uplink speed of 677 Mbps, while the 99.6% fulfilment rate at 20 Mbps confirmed that the headline performance figures translated into reliable real-world delivery. The network also supported innovative spectator applications, including AR and VR viewing modes that allowed fans to experience the marathon from the robots' own perspectives - all enabled by the same high-uplink infrastructure. In their own words Qin Yang, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom in Beijing, spoke proudly of the excellent connections his company provided for the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, as a global strategic partner, and for the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half-Marathon event, as the exclusive official communications sponsor. He said, "5G-A and AI are essential digital infrastructure, enabling us to bring embodied AI to sports. Given the new dynamics of AI development, we will double down on our priorities over connectivity, computing power, services, and security to sharpen our competitive edges as a preferred telecom partner for intelligent sports and a core enabler for intelligent industry transformation. "Moving forward, we will accelerate our innovation-driven push to strengthen our digital infrastructure and drive the high-quality growth of embodied AI in China and beyond." Samuel Chen, Vice President of Huawei's Wireless Network Business Marketing, added that this humanoid robot half-marathon offers a good example of deepening integration between mobile technology and embodied intelligence. He commented, "Beyond redefining connectivity for sports, it has shown us what intelligent production and life will look like in future. We are always dedicated to building excellent 5G-A networks together with operators based on user-centred innovation to ensure GigaUplink, low latency, and high reliability for differentiated mobile AI services. This will enable us to continuously drive the high-quality growth of the digital economy." The broader picture The Beijing event is significant not only as a spectacle, but as an indicator of where network engineering is heading. The shift from downlink-dominant 5G towards symmetrical, high-uplink architectures reflects a fundamental change in how AI-driven applications interact with mobile infrastructure. Embodied AI, industrial data backhaul, and immersive real-time services all place enormous demands on uplink capacity - demands that traditional LTE and early 5G networks were not designed to meet. The 5G-A GigaUplink standard, with its target of ubiquitous 20Mbps uplink availability, positions the technology as a credible foundation for the next generation of intelligent applications. China Unicom's deployment at the E-Town marathon demonstrates that this is not merely theoretical; with the right network architecture, AI-powered autonomous systems can operate reliably at scale in complex, real-world environments. For network engineers and infrastructure professionals, the lesson from Beijing is clear: As embodied AI moves from the laboratory to the streets, connectivity infrastructure must evolve to match - and the 5G-A deployment at the E-Town marathon offers a practical, field-tested blueprint for how that evolution can be achieved. For more from Huawei, click here.

Neterra adds fourth Sofia–Frankfurt data route

Neterra, an independent Bulgarian global telecommunications provider, has launched a fourth independent data transmission route between Sofia and Frankfurt, expanding capacity and network resilience. The company states it is the only provider in the region operating four separate and geographically diverse routes between the two locations. The infrastructure is supported by its NetIX internet exchange platform. The additional route has been introduced in response to increasing disruption across international networks. Recent outages have shown that multiple routes can be affected at the same time, impacting services across major platforms. Dean Belev (pictured above), Senior Product Manager for Connectivity and NetIX at Neterra, says, “When external interruptions occurred in international infrastructure, we saw that even three routes were not always enough to guarantee the quality we strive for. “That is why we initiated the construction of a fourth line based on our specific requirements. Now, all four routes are completely independent, not only in their physical paths, but also in terms of operators and equipment used. This represents the highest level of protection we can offer our customers.” The new route is already supporting several hundred customers using data transmission, internet access, and NetIX platform services in the region. Capacity upgrade planned across all routes Alongside the new route, Neterra plans to increase capacity across its Sofia–Frankfurt network. The company will upgrade from N × 100Gbps to N × 400Gbps across all four routes. The upgrade reportedly follows continued growth in demand and the expansion of NetIX, which currently operates at around 7Tbps capacity. The combined expansion is intended to improve both performance and resilience across one of Europe’s key data connectivity corridors. For more from Neterra, click here.