Key takeaways
- EXA Infrastructure and Colt Technology Services are partnering on a new digital ecosystem in the Channel Tunnel linking the data centre markets in London and Paris, announced 08 March 2023
- EXA will upgrade 66 kilometres of undersea network with 288 fibres of G.652D optical cable
- The Channel Tunnel is one of three scalable and fully diverse dark routes EXA offers between the UK and Europe
- The news follows EXA's new low latency London to Paris link announced last year, the first under the English Channel for more than 20 years
- Steve Roberts of EXA and Andrew Edison of Colt commented on the collaboration
A new Channel Tunnel route between London and Paris
LONDON, UK, 08 MARCH 2023 – EXA Infrastructure, the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platform connecting Europe and North America, today announced it has partnered with Colt Technology Services (Colt) on a new robust digital ecosystem in the Channel Tunnel linking the growing data centre markets in London and Paris.
The collaboration between the two industry titans offers its customers the most reliable and flexible fibre optic route utilising the shortest crossing on the market. EXA will upgrade 66 kilometres of undersea network with 288 fibres of the latest technology G.652D optical cable which will benefit new and existing customers.
In addition to the highly secure infrastructure being located in a tunnel 40 metres below the sea bed, the Channel Tunnel also offers routing flexibility for customers to reach Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt from London. This route guarantees resilience and diversity from the traditional routes on the market as well as an increase in capacity and availability across the entire FLAP region.
What the route offers
- The shortest crossing on the market
- Highly secure infrastructure in a tunnel 40 metres below the sea bed
- Routing flexibility to reach Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt from London
- Increased capacity and availability across the entire FLAP region
Comment from Steve Roberts
EXA Infrastructure, VP Network Investments, Steve Roberts said: “This is an important industry collaboration to meet the growing digital demand we are seeing across Europe and beyond. The Channel Tunnel forms a key part of EXA’s strategy to provide our clients with a choice of three scalable and fully diverse dark routes between the UK and Europe. ”
The strategic connection between London and Paris will power the future of connectivity across the English Channel. EXA and Colt are in the process of upgrading their cables either side of the tunnel to offer customers a modern G.652D cable route from London to Paris.
Comment from Andrew Edison
Andrew Edison, Executive Vice President (EVP) Sales, Marketing and Customer Success, said: “We’re very proud to have a strong partnership with EXA Infrastructure and are leading the industry innovation in collaboration on connectivity. We are committed to building powerful connections for our people, customers and partners across the entire digital infrastructure ecosystem.”
Building on last year's London to Paris link
The news comes after EXA announced last year it was commissioning a new low latency fibre optic network link between London and Paris, to provide diversity from the channel tunnel, as well as the first under the English Channel for more than 20 years.
About EXA Infrastructure
Headquartered in London, UK, EXA Infrastructure is the largest dedicated digital infrastructure platform connecting Europe and North America, and owns 114,000 kilometres of fibre network across 34 countries. EXA’s network connects 300 cities and offers 13 Tier 3-equivalent data centres, with sub-sea routes that include three transatlantic cables, one the lowest latency link between Europe and North America. EXA is wholly-owned by I Squared Capital. For more information, see exainfra.net
