ANTARCTIC
S M A R T C A B L E S Y S T E M
CONNECTING AUSTRALIA - NEW ZEALAND - ANTARCTICA
ANTARCTICA
Antarctica is a unique frontier with
many environmental, biological, and geological
discoveries yet to be made; it is also a
technological frontier as it is the only
continent without submarine fiber
optic communications, relying on low-
bandwidth satellite for information transmission.
The addition of a new SMART cable system can
open a world of discovery, scientific exchange,
and international engagement.
THE NSF DESKTOP STUDY
NSF's
Geosciences
and
Computer
and
Information
Science
and
Engineering
directorates commissioned this study in response
to a 3-day science workshop held in 2021; the
workshop
reviewed
the
transformational
potential that high-speed telecommunications
would have for research and life in Antarctica.
McMurdo Station, a self-contained "science
town" with a population of up to 1,000
individuals, currently possesses the internet
bandwidth of just an average single household
in the United States.
Thinly spreading that bandwidth across all
researchers and personnel restricts the support
of scientific research, operations of the station,
and the personal needs of the staff who spend
months deployed at McMurdo Station.
A SMART Cable System
This Comprehensive Desktop Study explores the
Feasibility of a Science Monitoring And Reliable
Telecommunications (SMART) fiber optic cable system
connecting Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica.
Public Release DTS Highlights
Benefits for Research &
Communications
•
Summarizes the current restrictive low-bandwidth
connectivity and outlines significant transmission
improvements of fiber optic cable connectivity.
Comprehensive Cable Route Planning
•
Provides in-depth research of route topography,
geology, ecology, vegetation, marine mammals,
biological communities, fishing/marine activity,
protected areas, climate, environmental/regulatory,
and cable landings.
•
Identifies permitting and cable crossing
requirements.
Near Real-Time Southern Ocean
Undersea Data via SMART Cable
•
Explores data collection possibilities of SMART cable
technology integration into Antarctic cable system.
•
Provides most up-to-date SMART cable technical
development by leading SMART experts.
Desktop Study Prepared By:
Global Broadband Solutions, LLC,
(GBS), is a northern Virginia-based
HUBZone certified specialized
engineering services company.
GBS has provided submarine and
terrestrial fiber optic cable system
expertise across the world’s
7 continents and 5 oceans.
www.GBS1.com
DESKTOP STUDY | PUBLIC RELEASE VERSION
SCAN THE QR CODE to access the Public Release Version of the
Desktop Study, or visit: https://media.gbs1.com/antarctica_dts
https://bit.ly/41M4wXC or www.GBS1.com
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Breaking The
Bandwidth Barrier
Benefits of a Fiber Optic Cable System
“In the coming decades, plans for these
South Pole scientific platforms will result in
ten times greater data volumes than
today. Increased bandwidth is essential for
the continued progress of U.S. and
international research in Antarctica.
“The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, South
Pole Telescope, and BICEP/Keck, for
example, currently produces >1 TB of data
per day, but only transmits on the order of
100GB per day via satellite.
“This results in reduced data quality, limits
timely measurement feedback, inhibits the
ability to respond to transient events, and
causes other operational headaches.”
2021 Antarctic Subsea Cable
Workshop Report
SCAN THE QR CODE
to access the Public Release Version
of the DTS, or visit:
media.gbs1.com/antarctica_dts
FOLLOW-ON STUDIES
NSF is now implementing follow-on studies to
refine the Comprehensive Desktop Study. NSF is
planning a second science workshop or panel to
articulate the science goals and objectives for
analysis and inclusion in the cable design and
route.
This
follow-up
event
can
provide
information for the potential advancement of the
subsea cable design process.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
SMART CABLES
www.smartcables.org
The Joint Task Force (JTF) on SMART Cables is
comprised of professionals from the scientific
community and the submarine cable industry. The
JTF is mandated to develop and facilitate a
strategy to combine e submarine fiber optic cable
infrastructure and environmental sensing for real-
time climate and ocean monitoring and
earthquake and tsunami disaster mitigation.
The JTF was established in 2011 by the UN
International Telecommunications Union, World
Meteorological Organization, and UNESCO
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
Join and Support the JTF:
www.smartcables.org/jtf
S Y S T E M L E N G T H
Approximately
5,000-6,400 kilometers
SCAN THE QR CODE to access the Public Release Version of the
Desktop Study, or visit: https://media.gbs1.com/antarctica_dts
https://bit.ly/41M4wXC or www.GBS1.com
GLOBAL BROADBAND SOLUTIONS, LLC