New Fiber Optic Backbone Links the East and the West, Attracts Data Centers to the North
Rostock, Germany – January 12, 2016 – Cinia Group, Finland-based provider of intelligent connectivity and transmission services, today announced the completion of submarine data cable laying between Germany and Finland. The new digital highway offers the shortest and fastest route to connect Central Europe with optimal data center locations in Northern Europe and business opportunities in Eastern Europe and Asia.
The Cinia C-Lion1 submarine data cable is a key initiative for both the Finnish government and the EU. The cable contributes to the Digital Single Market for Europe by enabling connectivity and redundancy to the Nordic region and further improving Finland’s position as a gateway between the East and the West.
The laying project of the Cinia C-Lion1 cable system is now successfully completed as the cable reached its destination in Rostock, Germany. Started in Helsinki on October 12th 2015, the project took exactly three months. The new connection is planned to be commercially available during spring 2016, following a commissioning and acceptance process.
The new high capacity, low latency and cyber secure backbone connection is expected to significantly increase the interest of data center operators and data intensive organizations to set up operations in Finland. Further strengths of the area include cool climate conditions, cost efficient energy supply, and location between the East and the West.
The first major Central European provider of data center services to construct a new data center park in Finland is Hetzner Online GmbH, also a user and co-investor in the Cinia C-Lion1 cable connection. Announced in December 2015, Hetzner Online has scheduled its construction project to start during the next months.
“The direct link between mainland Europe and Finland lays the foundation for our new data center park near Helsinki”, said Martin Hetzner, founder and CEO of Hetzner Online. “The new submarine cable provides a latency-optimized broadband connection between the Northern region and the Central European internet infrastructure in Frankfurt. Hetzner Online will use a portion of the fiber optic cable for a secure and fast connection from its current data centers to the Nordic countries, and so assumes more control over the quality of data transmission.”
“The new direct subsea data connection supports the development of the new European data center concept and will provide a major business opportunity for companies both in Finland and Europe”, said Ari-Jussi Knaapila, CEO at Cinia Group. “The announcement by Hetzner Online to build their third data center park in Finland proves that network infrastructure is one of the key prerequisites for investments in digital economy.”
The Finnish Government made a decision to build a submarine data cable across the Baltic Sea in November 2014, based on a feasibility study conducted in May 2013. The completed cable totals 1,172 kilometers in length and consists of eight optical fiber pairs with a total capacity of 120 terabits per second (Tbps). The cable was manufactured in Calais by Alcatel-Lucent, which also carried out the cable laying process across the Baltic Sea.
For further information, please contact: www.cinia.fi
Ari-Jussi Knaapila, CEO, Cinia Group
Tel. +358 50 2179
Email aj.knaapila@cinia.fi
Agency Contact: Juha Frey, Netprofile for Cinia Group
Tel. +358 40 572 4674
Email juha@netprofile.fi
Christian Fitz, Head of Marketing, Hetzner Online
Tel. +49 9831 505-124
Email christian.fitz@hetzner.de
Hetzner Online GmbH is a professional web hosting provider and experienced data center operator. Since 1997, the company has provided private and business clients with high-performance hosting products as well as the necessary infrastructure for the efficient operation of websites. A combination of stable technology, attractive pricing and flexible support and service enables Hetzner Online to continuously strengthen its market position both nationally and internationally. More information: www.hetzner.com.
Cinia Group Ltd. provides intelligent connectivity solutions and software services for a smaller and smarter world. With mission-critical systems expertise and 10,000+ kilometers of backbone network in Finland, Cinia enables international organizations to build cyber secure IT infrastructures and future-proof cloud-based environments. The new C-Lion1 digital highway fuels the European single digital market by offering the shortest and fastest route to connect Central Europe with optimal data center locations in Northern Europe and business opportunities in Eastern Europe and Asia. Cinia employs 200 professionals with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. More information: www.cinia.fi/en.
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