As a result of the proliferation of IoT and cloud services, as well as the growing demand for Over-the-Top (OTT) content and bandwidth-intensive applications, network traffic is increasing at an exponential rate. In fact, according to a recent study by Cisco, annual global IP traffic is predicted to reach 3.3 Zettabytes per year by 2021, and this is only the beginning.

Focused on developing high-capacity, low-latency fiber routes able to satisfy the bandwidth needs of mounting network traffic, Crosslake Fibre, a Canadian dark fiber provider, is rolling out subsea cable projects throughout North America. With a unique approach to subsea interconnectivity, Crosslake Fibre identifies traditionally terrestrial, niche markets to develop more direct fiber paths that provide customers with diverse connectivity options.

Further validating Crosslake Fibre’s unique approach to subsea cable builds, Tiger Infrastructure Partners, a New York-based middle-market private equity firm, recently made a substantial investment in the dark fiber provider as the company continues to address the growing demand for reliable network connectivity and high-capacity bandwidth options. This investment will help Crosslake Fibre continue to expand throughout North America as it identifies additional niche markets in need of diverse connectivity.

WALL-LI Subsea Cable Project

In the northeast United States, it’s an undisputed fact that nearly all fiber paths lead through Manhattan, producing highly congested routes unable to meet the necessary capacity to maintain low-latency interconnectivity. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

The recent announcement of a passive, unrepeatered connection between 1025Connect, New Jersey Fiber Exchange (NJFX) and Crosslake Fibre promises to provide customers a better way to connect via the WALL-LI subsea cable project. Further expanding Crosslake Fibre’s unique model of developing submarine cable systems, this will provide a direct route between the two major transatlantic interconnectivity hubs in Wall, New Jersey, and Long Island, New York, creating a new eastern bypass route of Manhattan. By pairing together terrestrial and subsea fiber routes, customers will gain the ability to leverage additional capacity for low-latency delivery of bandwidth-intensive data where it’s needed most.

As Mike Cunningham, CEO of Crosslake Fibre, said in a recent interview with Capacity, “If we just connect to a cable landing station, that doesn’t necessarily enable us to provide a solution for our customers. Sometimes there are limited options from that cable landing station onwards. That’s why NJFX and 1025Connect are our two primary interconnect points, because there’s lots of connectivity options from these different businesses that allow our customers to connect with onwards.”

Crosslake will own and manage the system as an independent operator, allowing them to provide innovative commercial solutions, including dark fiber and managed services, for enterprise and carriers.