Ciena’s Regional Managing Director of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific, Ivan Polizzi, shares insights from industry leaders on the vital role of network connectivity in Australia's global data network, the importance of leveraging existing infrastructure, the growth of subsea fibre optic cables, and the need for collaboration to build resilient and Interconnected networks in the digital era.
An often-repeated axiom is that network connectivity is critical.
And it’s constantly being reinforced by the unprecedented growth we’re seeing in network bandwidth demand – driven by the relentless appetite for data and increasing reliance on cloud services, video, and emerging demands of AI.
As data centre operator, NEXTDC’s Chief Customer & Commercial Officer, David Dzienciol, said: “The challenge is: how do we ensure that we’re ready to connect to a growing and dynamic cloud ecosystem and deliver our services with strategic value at a time when new companies with new business models are disrupting industries at an unprecedented rate?”
Without a doubt, it can be difficult to forecast what’s coming.
We’re thinking a lot about how the connectivity ecosystem will continue to evolve – because it will look very different. Just five years ago, the cloud looked very different from what it is today.
Connectivity throughout Australia
We are seeing Australia play an increasingly important role in the global data network. Major international players are not only seeking to connect to Australia, but also transit through Australia to other parts of the world as they seek secure and diverse network routes.
This shift necessitates fast and reliable connectivity with multiple redundancies, ensuring that data can reach its intended destination without interruption and in a sustainable manner. While new networks are a continual work in progress, there is existing infrastructure that is available today that can support Australia’s goal to be a connectivity highway.
For instance, telecommunications provider Queensland Capacity Network (QCN), leverages existing government-owned power and rail infrastructure to expand connectivity within the state.
Jason Horan, Chief Technology Officer of QCN said: “We’ve got 60 billion dollars’ worth of new electricity projects in various stages of development. We also have new rail lines being laid. We must make sure we’re integrated into these projects and leverage those buildouts, so we don’t have the costs associated with building out new capacity, which is critical.”
Locally, QCN also believes that their efforts to use existing infrastructure are helping close the digital divide in Queensland. Although low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellites are often floated as a possible solution, these are only able to fill in some connectivity gaps. Instead, QCN believes that fibre optics remain the best possible solution to integrating communities scattered across long distances – as we often see in Australia – to the wider network ecosystems and ensure that all users can benefit from network technology advancements.
Connectivity under the sea
Subsea fibre optic cables are the backbone of global connectivity and carry over 99 percent of the world’s intercontinental communications traffic, offering reliable high-capacity and low-latency traffic for international communications. And global reliance on subsea connectivity is increasing; according to TeleGeography’s 3Q2024 Transport Network Forecast, subsea fibre optic capacity is expected to grow at a 31 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years.
With demand continuing unabated, we must also consider innovating to increase capacity while also considering subsea cable resilience and adaptability. The growth in new subsea cables connecting to and through Australia and the rapid adoption of AI, cloud, and 5G services underscore this need.
Whether we are under the sea, on land, or in the cloud, bringing all that together is so important.
Connecting together
Seamless connectivity and low latency are key requirements in the digital era. The entire ecosystem – network vendors, providers, operators, and the public sector – needs to work together to coordinate network capacity, availability, latency, and security.
However, we really can’t predict the future. As NEXTDC’s David Dzienciol mentioned: We’re thinking a lot about how the connectivity ecosystem will continue to evolve – because it will look very different. Just five years ago, the cloud looked very different from what it is today. So, based on that logic, cloud platforms and facilities will be interconnected differently to what exists today.”
And from QCN’s Jason Horan: “Whether we are under the sea, on land, or in the cloud, bringing all that together is so important. For me, there are many organisations navigating those various challenges. They're focused on their purpose and adding value to their customers. And I think, having those like-minded partners to forge that way. I think those outcomes for our customers and consumers are so important.”
With the continuing changes in the network connectivity landscape driven by increasing demand for more robust and capable connectivity – it’s vital that we leverage our existing relationships and a common purpose to build more comprehensive and resilient networks. Working together is how we will be able to “predict” the infrastructure needs of a digital era and enhance the role Australia plays in global connectivity.