FLAG Telecom

Global Transmission Network Overview

Connecting Continents. Connecting Cultures

FLAG Telecom Ltd.

www.flagtelecom.com

Contents
Introduction; Our global fibre-optic / SDH network
Architecture & key features
Performance
FLAG constructed network systems
FLAG purchased network systems
Reliance India network
Metro rings and extended reach
VPoPs
FLAG transmission services
Operations and service management
FLAG global MPLS/IP network & peering

www.flagtelecom.com
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Introduction
FLAG Telecom is a leading provider of international network transport, connectivity and data
services to the wholesale communications & Internet communities
Our services are delivered over an extensive fibre-optic and MPLS based IP network that
we own and manage
The network fully encircles the globe, connecting key markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle
East and the USA

This network touches over 75% of the worlds population

The network seamlessly connects several submarine and terrestrial cable systems

Incorporating self-built and purchased facilities across Europe, Mediterranean, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South
China Sea, Pacific, North America and Atlantic

FLAGs transmission services provide the foundations underpinning the networks of many of
the worlds largest carriers and Internet operators

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Our global fibre-optic / SDH network

A high-speed, highly reliable network that fully encircles the globe, providing direct coverage and seamless
connectivity between major global telecoms hubs, business markets and high-growth economies across four
continents

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Architecture overview
The FLAG global network is fully optical and is predominantly a submarine based network

Terrestrial networks are implemented to provide backhaul connectivity to domestic city nodes, and to provide
terrestrial links between submarine segments (USA, Europe, Egypt, Thailand)

It is designed, engineered and operated to provide highly reliable, scalable and cost
effective transmission
FLAG adheres to industry standards in all aspects on our network, engineering, service
delivery and operations
The network is fully SDH / SONET compatible and supports a wide range of standard
optical and electrical interfaces and speeds for customer circuits
FLAG works with leading vendors for all component elements of the network
FLAG nodes are located in key landing stations and carrier hotels to provide ready access
to other networks

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High scalability
320 Gbps protected
(Scalable to 2.4 + 2.4 Tbps)
9.95 Gbps

62 Gbps

10 20 Gbps
(Upgradeable to
80 Gbps based
upon current
technology)

up to 10 Gbps

90 Gbps protected
(FALCON - planned)
(Scalable to 2.56 Tbps)

50 Gbps (FALCON - planned)

(Scalable to 1.28 Tbps)

250 Gbps
Protected
(Scalable to 1.2 +
1.92 Tbps)

The FLAG core optical backbone is scaled to satisfy inter-continental and intra-regional demand. It
effectively provides bandwidth on tap, enabling us to address both near and long term growth in demand,
and avoid over-subscription in our IP layer. Efficient capacity planning procedures actively monitor growth
trends and customer driven demand to trigger appropriate upgrades
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Route distances
FLAG Europe Network
~7,800 km
Trans-America Network
~12,400 km
FALCON (announced)
10,300 km

Trans-Pacific Network
~ 17,700 km

FLAG Atlantic 1
(FA-1)
~ 12,800 km
FLAG Europe Asia (FEA)
~ 27,000 km

FLAG North Asia Loop

(FNAL)
~ 11,000 km

The FLAG network stretches for over 97,000 kilometres (including network spurs)

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Seamless global delivery

The network fully encircles the globe,
providing an on-net (east/west) backup
path for customer traffic and enabling us
to implement the most direct path
between source and destination

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Common network components

Several generic components are employed throughout the network

Specific equipment and suppliers used varies from system to system due to geographic, route distance,
volume, age and feature issues
Additional equipment is employed in specific network systems for protection and cross connect purposes

(S)LTE /
(D)WDM
Customer
Facing
Circuits

Add Drop Multiplexers in

FLAG PoPs provide the
physical interface to
customers at a range of SDH
data rates, acting as the cross
connect and termination /
configuration point for
customer circuits. They
aggregate signals onto the
line termination equipment.

Branching
Unit

Amplifier /
Repeater

ADM
Optical Fibre

Line Terminal Equipment, located

at Submarine landing stations or
terrestrial nodes, multiplex SDH
signals onto a single optical fibre
pair. They provide error
correction, alarm and supervisory
facilities. Integrated or combined
(Dense) Wavelength Division
Multiplexing facilities enable
multiple wavelengths to be
multiplexed.

Branching Units are used to

drop local optical
connections from a
submarine cable to the shore,
providing a splice & joint
function. They provide an
efficient and resilient
mechanism of deploying a
cable with multiple landing
stations, without having to
route the entire cable via the
shoreline

Amplifiers and repeaters are

employed to maintain signal strength
along the length of the fibre.
Amplifiers increase the intensity of
the laser without optical-electro
conversion. However, signal
attenuation through glass
necessitates the use of Repeaters at
regular intervals that regenerate the
original digital signal through opticalelectrical-optical conversion.

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Performance measures
A range of measures are taken to protect FLAGs global network and to ensure highly
resilient and reliable traffic delivery
Automatic or manual protection paths are used throughout the network for protected
customer circuits
A range of common automatic protection techniques are used within specific FLAG
system components:

Sub Network Connection Protection (SNCP), Multiplex Section Shared Protection Ring (MS-SPRing) or
Mutiplex Section Protection (MSP1+1) network and interface cards

FLAG is able to provide on-net east/west protection paths where appropriate

Further specific measures are taken for individual network systems

Including fibre diversity, SDH loops, Optical Protection Switching (OPS), span switching, dual access cards
etc.

Subsea cables follow carefully plotted routes, are extensively armoured and are buried
close to shore to minimise the impacts of natural disasters and the risk of local cuts
All PoPs are strictly engineered to ensure carrier-grade performance

Include all necessary cabling, access, environmental, power and security failsafes

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Long standing reputation for

outstanding quality & performance
The performance measures taken by FLAG enable us to offer best-in-class quality
FLAG overall on-net network availability was 99.997% during 2004

It has consistently been higher than 99.99% for over 3 years

For those rare faults encountered, average on-net Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) for
customer service faults was 1.91 hours during 2004

It has consistently been lower than 4 hours for over 3 years

Average On-Net Availability (2004)

Mean Time To Repair Service Faults (2004)

100.00

5.0
4.5

4 Hour MTTR Target Level

4.0

99.998
99.996

3.0

Hours

3.5

99.997% Achieved Availability

2.5

99.994

1.91 Hour MTTR Achieved Level

2.0

99.992

1.5
1.0

99.99% Target Availability

99.990

0.5
0.0

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep Oct

Nov Dec

99.988

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May Jun

Jul

Aug Sep Oct

Nov Dec

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FLAG constructed systems

FA-1
FNAL

FALCON
(under construction)

FEA
FLAG operates its network as a single global facility. However, it is constructed from a number of
interconnected systems that FLAG has either constructed or purchased. The systems shown above were
constructed by FLAG
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FLAG Europe Asia (FEA)

FEA was the worlds first independent, competitive cable system to serve the
Middle East and Asian markets. It was the first independent cable system to
land in China, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and it remains the worlds longest
privately funded undersea system

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FEA topology
Miura
(Japan)

Porthcurno
(UK)
SS1

Landing Station
Q3

A
BUx
B

BU1

Q1
Q2

Terrestrial Fibre Connection

SSx

Keoje
(Korea)

A .. Q

P3

Fibre Segment ID
Nanhui
(China)

Alexandria
(Egypt)

Port Said
(Egypt)

Aqaba
Jeddah
Fujairah
(Jordan) (Saudi Arabia) (UAE)

Penang
(Malaysia)

E
X1

SS8

FEA Sub-System

P2

Palermo
(Italy)

SS2

BU6
Q4

Local Route

SS3

Ninomiya
(Japan)

Express Route

Estepona
(Spain)

SS9

Branching Unit

P1

SS4
F3

X1

F4

SS6
SS5

BU5

M
X2

Songkhla
(Thailand)

South Lantau
(Hong Kong)
N

Cairo
(Egypt)

Suez
(Egypt)

F1
BU7

F2

BU2

BU3

K
Mumbai
(India)

L
BU4

Satun
Trang X2
(Thailand) (Thailand)

SS7

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FEA overview
FLAG constructed, owns and operates FEA
In-service: 1997
FEA consists of nine sub-systems, comprising a total of 25 segments

This identification scheme is used for construction, operations & maintenance and restoration purposes

Each sub-system comprises two or more terminal stations connected by two fibre pairs

Express and local fibres

Local and Express route configuration provides efficient and high performance delivery

Express route provides a rapid path between high volume routes to minimise delivery delay for inter-continental
circuits
Local route provides a local access and intra-regional capability

WDM used to increase capacity in the system from the initial 10 Gbps capacity

Current technology will allow an upgrade to 80 Gbps

FEA is resiliently interconnected with FA-1 in the UK and FNAL in Hong Kong and Japan

UK interconnect: Porthcurno Skewjack

Hong Kong interconnect: Tong Fuk South Lantau
Japan interconnect: Miura - Wada

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FALCON (under construction)

A new submarine cable

system to address the
broadband demand that
exists to and from the high
growth communications
markets in the Middle East
and India
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FALCON topology (May 2005)

Manama CLS
(Bahrain)

Alcatel optical cross-connect 1678MCC

Branching Unit

Al Khobar CLS
(Saudi Arabia)

Branching units are placed at strategic

locations to enable future locations to be
added along the route
Jeddah
CLS
(Saudi Arabia)

Alcatel SLTE 1620LM

Kuwait CLS

Doha CLS
(Qatar)

Al Hudaydah
CLS
(Yemen)

Al Ghaydah
CLS
(Yemen)

Khasab CLS
(Oman)

Suez CLS
(Egypt)

Mumbai CLS
(India)
1

8 (express + local)

Al Seeb CLS
(Oman)

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FALCON system profile

Suez-Muscat-Mumbai

6,900km submarine system with 90 Gbps initial capacity

Four fibre pairs, with design capacity of 64 wavelengths per fibre pair, equalling 2.56 Tbps

Gulf Loop

Self healing 3,400km loop system with 50 Gbps initial capacity

Two fibre pairs, with design capacity of 64 wavelengths per fibre pair, equalling 1.28 Tbps

The system has been designed to enable additional spurs to be inserted during and
post initial cable deployment

Branching units inserted at key locations during first lay to support other interested landing parties along the
route as their communications needs develop and grow

Further extensions under review

Advanced network engineering design

Comprehensive protection mechanisms (optical protection, MSP1+1, MS-Spring, SDH), equipment

redundancy built into SLTE, PFE, power etc., dual landing points wherever possible, double armoured and
buried cable where necessary

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FALCON overview (Q3 2005)

FLAG is managing the entire design, construction and operations process
Planning phase complete and route selected (Q1 / Q2 2005)

Thorough planning phase included geophysical, oceanographic, hydrodynamic (sediment, current movement) and
environmental analysis, plus an analysis of human factors such as external aggression, pipelines (oil, gas, &
sewage outfalls etc), cables (military, power & telecoms etc), commercial fisheries, dredging and shipping activities.
Marine surveys, landing site reviews and permit activities complete

Supplier contract awarded to Alcatel, a leading provider of large-scale turnkey submarine

cable projects
Implementation phase underway

Cable anchored in Oman and en-route to Mumbai early August 2005

Initial RFS in Q4 05
Negotiations with other interested landing parties are continuing

Design enables spurs to be added along the cable route to match evolving local communications requirements

www.flagtelecom.com
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Reliance Infocomm India Network

80,000 Route kms of fibre,
connecting over 1100 towns & cities

380,000 duct kms

Planned access to ~5000 towns & cities
(120,000 route kms) by end Q4 2005

Backbone, metro and building

access ring architecture

Highly resilient ring & mesh design

Cities connected on backbone rings
Backbone comprises express ring (DWDM,
40 * 10 Gbps) + collector layer (SDH)
City / metro rings have 3 or more
alternative paths
137 rings across India
Localised building access rings provide
customer access

Direct access implemented to

business premises

1.7 million homes & offices by 2006/7

95%+ coverage of Indian subscriber base
Fibre / cat5

Full national IP network

FLAG metro rings & extended reach

FLAG owns and operates metro rings, connecting major telehouses in the following
locations:
London
New York
Paris
Tokyo
FLAG employs leased line connectivity in other cities with more than one node (SDH / IP)
Amsterdam
Hong Kong
Singapore
Madrid
Extended reach into all other locations is performed via FLAGs approved suppliers and
partners worldwide

www.flagtelecom.com
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FLAG VPoPs
FLAG has implemented virtual points of presence (VPoPs) to provide one-stop-shop
access into tightly regulated countries

Fully interconnected into the FLAG Telecom global network

FLAG NOC

FLAG
City PoP

End Customer
Deregulated
Country

VPoPs are fully functional nodes

implemented and operated by
FLAG Telecom, but owned by
the resident International
Facilities License (IFL) holder
FLAG VPoP

Landing
Station

End Customer

End to End Seamless Connection

Regulated
Country

FLAG VPoPs are implemented in Egypt, Pakistan and China

www.flagtelecom.com
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Global operations & service management

Our global structure and network ownership enable us to offer effective and responsive
service management
Order Project Managers ensure timely and tested delivery of your service
We operate a resilient, global Network Operations Centre (NOC)

NOCs are staffed by technical professionals, with specific expertise in subsea, transmission and IP network
elements and technologies

We employ highly skilled engineers and technical experts

We recruit at degree level and support staff include qualified & accredited engineers (CCNA, CCIE & JNCIE)

Regional field engineers are on call 24*7 on a global basis

Coordinated by a central management function

Global Field Operations team has remote access to network management systems

Strict escalation and customer communications procedures are in place

Focused on resolving faults and restoring your service quickly and efficiently, keeping you informed throughout

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Network Operations and Management

FLAG operates a primary NOC in Heathrow (UK), secondary NOC in Fujairah (UAE) and a
Disaster Recovery NOC in London Docklands
The NOC proactively monitors FLAGs network and facilities 24 hour-a-day, seven day-a week

Monitors network elements, identifying alarms and performing root cause analysis
Monitors environmental alarms, including intrusion, high/low temperature, fire or smoke, toxic/explosive gas,
DC/commercial AC power and water levels

The NOC is supported by integrated operational support systems (OSS), optimally

configured to detect & pinpoint faults to the individual network segment, handle incidents and
quickly re-route traffic whenever necessary

Including Micromuse Netcool (high-level alarm fault isolation), Peregrine Service Centre / Trouble Management
(trouble ticket system) & Cramer Dimension (circuit provisioning system)

Centralised Operations (co-located with the FLAG NOC) are the control point for the
network, logging and authorising all network activity

Responsible for repairing and restoring any customer circuit outages or any other events that happen on the network

Field engineering / operations resources manage all localised repair and maintenance
activities
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FLAG transmission services

FLAG offers a range of bandwidth services to support the global connectivity requirements of
our customers. Services are available at a wide range of speeds and with flexible contract
terms. Optional co-location is available in major city centres
FLAG Right of Use (RoU)

A long-term contract providing the right to use capacity between specific points on the FLAG network

FLAG Capacity Service

Protection is not guaranteed

Full or half circuit connectivity
Between landing stations, city nodes or customer premises
Targeted at major carriers that manage their own international facilities, back-up routes and restoration plans
One-top-shop service, facilitating all aspects of international delivery
Supporting all customer traffic types and applications, including voice, video and data

FLAG Managed Bandwidth Service (MBS)

Protected, offering maximum performance and resilience

Seamless, fully managed connectivity
Between landing stations, city nodes or customer premises
Targeted at major carriers that manage their own international facilities
One-stop-shop service, facilitating all aspects of international delivery
Supporting all customer traffic types and applications, including voice, video and data
www.flagtelecom.com
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FLAG global MPLS/IP network & peering

AS15412

A high-speed, low packet-loss global MPLS/IP network, enabling superior

content delivery and advanced data networking. The core IP backbone is
complemented by peering with major content providers & ISPs at the worlds
principal international Internet exchanges.

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Summary
We own and manage the entire network, providing maximum control over service cost
and quality

Network either self-constructed or acquired on IRU / long-term lease basis

We have service operator licenses in key liberalised markets and maintain strong
relationships with the incumbent telecoms operators in all locations in which we operate
We offer extended reach as a standard option via city Points of Presence (PoPs),
metro rings and local tails

Access to service is available from city centre locations, landing stations and customer premises

Our network fully encircles the globe, enabling seamless traffic delivery both eastward
and westward

FLAG strives to always provide customers with the most direct path between source and destination and are
able to provide an on-net backup path

High scalability enables us to provide a full range of data speeds

An extensive range of measures are implemented to ensure maximum availability and
minimum disruption to customers
www.flagtelecom.com
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Thank You
For further information, please visit www.flagtelecom.com for the contact details of your local FLAG Telecom
representative

The information in this presentation is provided for information purposes only. All reasonable efforts are used to ensure and maintain accuracy at the time of publishing. Future events may change its accuracy. No
representation or warranty is given by any person as to its accuracy or completeness and it should not be relied upon.

FLAG Telecom Ltd. Proprietary

For Information Only

www.flagtelecom.com