STF ANALYTICS

STF ANALYTICS

BY REBECCA SPENCE

WELCOME TO 2022!

Okay, so it’s a couple weeks late, but the sentiment still stands. A new year, a new slew of projects to look forward to. As is custom, this month we look at what the industry achieved over the past year, as well what we have to look forward to in the future. The data used in this article is obtained from the public domain and is tracked by the always advancing SubTel Forum Submarine Cable Database, where products like the Submarine Cable Almanac, Submarine Cable Map, and Submarine Telecoms Industry have their foundations.

WHERE DO WE STAND?

No one can ever say the submarine telecommunications industry is anything but resilient. Over the past two years global health regulations and travel restrictions have been in a constant state of flux and in spite of that, the industry has remained steady on with the purpose of increasing global internet connectivity. In the second year of the pandemic, vessel crews and management teams found ways to keep cable laying projects moving forward, regardless of the strict protocols established in ports and countries around the world. With some projects still feeling the effects of initial international shut down, progress can clearly be seen across social media platforms, year end wrap ups, and announcements.

Compared to new system activity in 2020, system output in 2021 was slightly lower but not unexpectedly so. In 2020, 19 systems were implemented, a higher number than the SubTel Cable Database was able to confirm at this time last year. This number was consistent with the previous year thanks in part to the months of work crews were able to complete before the pandemic hit. But when that progress came to a screeching halt, several projects were pushed in to 2021. System output in 2021 fell slightly with a total of 14 new systems implemented. Originally there were over a dozen more systems slated for implementation in 2021 that have now been pushed into 2022. Globally we see that 60 percent of regions saw a decline in activity except for the Americas and Transatlantic thanks to EllaLink going live mid-2021.

WHAT’S COMING?

Looking back, 30+ systems were originally expected to enter service in 2021, a few had been carried over from 2020. Though the global maritime shut down has lessened significantly, 20 of those 2021 planned systems have now been pushed back into 2022 leading to an anticipated 37+ systems expected this year. With 22 more systems announced for 2023, it will be interesting to see how many systems go into service in the next 12 months.

Several systems are close to completion as seen in the multitudes of landings publicized in the last few months of 2021. Grace Hopper, Equiano, and Southern Cross NEXT are among a few that seem to be nearing the end of their wet plants and will likely go into service this year.

Over the next three years, a total of 71 new submarine cable systems have been announced. While it is unlikely that all 37 systems planned for the coming year will enter service as the industry continues to deal with the aftermath of the shut down and an overall project backlog, the probability that most of these systems will eventually enter service remains high. STF

REBECCA SPENCE is the Project Manager from Submarine Telecoms Forum. Rebecca possessed more than 10 years’ experience as an analyst and database manager, including for the small business division of prominent government contractor, General Dynamics IT. She is a regular contributor to SubTel Forum Magazine and is based out of Hillsborough, North Carolina USA!

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