| DUBLIN, IRELAND--(Marketwire - Dec. 7, 2009) - | | | | as Hotmail and Google. Research Analysis IDC |
| CeltixConnect, provider of Europe's most | | | | predict that spending on IT cloud services will |
| advanced sub-sea telecommunications network, | | | | grow threefold rising to $42billion by 2012. Ireland's |
| today announced it has commenced construction | | | | success in attracting and supporting these |
| of an unrivalled hyper-capacity fibre optic sub-sea | | | | companies and their peers will be founded ,in no |
| cable that will connect Ireland to the UK. Once | | | | small part, on its ability to provide a secure, |
| deployed, CeltixConnect will deliver the resilience, | | | | reliable and cost effective technical infrastructure |
| diversity and low latency connectivity now | | | | of fibre optic communications - both throughout |
| demanded by enterprises, carriers and mobile | | | | the country and off the Island. |
| operators alike.CeltixConnect with its unique | | | | Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister Ireland) Mary |
| business model will allow end users to buy or | | | | Coughlan said "This is a huge endorsement of the |
| lease dedicated dark fibre on the sub sea cable or | | | | Irish economy and our continued ability to attract |
| alternatively lease high capacity managed services | | | | foreign direct investment to the country. A robust |
| on this uniquely designed route. CeltixConnect also | | | | and modern telecommunications infrastructure is |
| announced the launch of which will be updated | | | | pivotal for current and future foreign direct |
| regularly with project highlights. | | | | investment as well as indigenous job creation" |
| Tom McMahon, Operations | | | | Deputy First Minister for the Economy & |
| Director, CeltixConnect said: "Today's | | | | Transport, Wales, Leuan Wyn Jones stated; "The |
| announcement signifies a major milestone in the | | | | Welsh Assembly Governments ICT infrastructure |
| project in light of our submission of the final | | | | policy recognises the importance of widespread |
| required regulatory applications. These final | | | | access to affordable, secure telecommunications. |
| applications mark the culmination of a rigorous | | | | CeltixConnect will contribute to the continued |
| eighteen month permitting process which involved | | | | progress of the competitive business |
| extensive consultation with interest groups both in | | | | environments of both Wales and Ireland - |
| Ireland and the UK." | | | | improving job creation and prosperity going |
| The CeltixConnect cable will uniquely land directly | | | | forward' |
| in the heart of Dublin's business district at East | | | | Matt Gallagher of East Point Business Park said: |
| Point Business Park and the Irish Financial Services | | | | "We are delighted that East Point Business Park |
| Centre (IFSC), connecting from there to the T50, | | | | has been selected as Ireland's landing point for |
| Dublin's major metropolitan network that links all | | | | the CeltixConnect telecommunications fibre cable |
| key business districts, datacentres and business | | | | due to the Park's key location at the edge of the |
| parks. In the UK, the privately owned carrier | | | | IFSC. With many of the world's best known ICT |
| neutral sub-sea cable will have the ability to | | | | companies including Cisco and Oracle based at |
| connect to the Welsh Assembly funded ''Fibre | | | | East Point, the connection will provide all our |
| Speed'', an open access fibre-optic network that | | | | companies with the opportunity to access the |
| connects Holyhead to Manchester, or with a | | | | most advanced global telecommunications fibre |
| number of other major fibre-optic networks that | | | | network system. East Point will now be the |
| connect into London and mainland Europe. | | | | location of choice for technology companies for |
| Diane Hodnett, Commercial Director, | | | | our newly completed offices seeking to have the |
| CeltixConnect, said ''No new Irish sub-sea cable | | | | competitive advantage of ultra high speed |
| system has been built since 2000 and currently | | | | connectivity for large scale data transfer." |
| most of the existing sub-sea cable systems face | | | | Recent sub-sea projects |
| near technical obsolescence and natural end of life. | | | | Other recent sub-sea projects number amongst |
| As such, until now Ireland risked facing the | | | | them; the Unity undersea cable consortium, |
| possibility of becoming a marooned digital island. | | | | including Google, Tyco and Singtel, who have |
| CeltixConnect's pioneering sub-sea dark fibre | | | | invested $300m to connect Asia (Tokyo) to the |
| business model, where each fibre is capable of | | | | US (LA); the Europe- India Gateway, a consortium |
| carrying up to 960 Gigabits per second (Gbps), | | | | consisting of amongst others; Cable and Wireless, |
| the equivalent of 480 hours of video per second, | | | | BT and AT&T, connecting India to the UK, |
| will offer customers increased reliability, security, | | | | via the Middle East at a cost of €700m; the |
| scalability and technical longevity at a competitive | | | | investment of €50m by the South African |
| price." | | | | Government and local providers connecting |
| Minister of Communications, Eamon Ryan said "I | | | | Capetown to London; and Project Kelvin, diversely |
| welcome this development which will improve | | | | connecting Northern Ireland to the US. |
| Ireland's international connectivity and advance the | | | | About CeltixConnect |
| modernisation of Ireland's communications | | | | CeltixConnect is owned and operated by Sea |
| network. I wish the company well in their | | | | Fibre Networks T/A CeltixConnect, a privately |
| endeavours" | | | | owned Irish Company. CeltixConnect was founded |
| Demand for CeltixConnect type services is | | | | by an experienced team of executives with a |
| driven in the main by technology and content | | | | track record of delivering large-scale telecoms |
| companies such as IBM, HP, Google, Amazon, | | | | cable projects. Combined the executives have |
| Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft and by media | | | | over 40 years experience in the telecoms |
| companies that are transitioning from print to | | | | industry at senior management positions both in |
| on-line, analog to digital and from satellite to | | | | commercial and engineering disciplines. |
| fibre. The continuing explosion of online content | | | | CeltixConnect's unique business model offers the |
| and the need to transport it is compounded by IT | | | | opportunity to lease or buy dedicated sub-sea |
| cloud computing applications such as on-line back | | | | dark fibre or lease dedicated high capacity |
| up delivered by Amazon and email services such | | | | managed services. |