Hibernia Networks has committed to landing its Tier 1 Express fibre cable at Cork, connecting the city with vital digital and financial markets in the US and UK.
The move follows a recent decision by Hibernia Atlantic to establish a new point-of-presence in Dublin.
The addition of the cable will be a vital shot in the arm for Cork’s digital ambitions.
The region is already home to IT giants such as Apple, IBM and EMC.
No doubt the addition of a fibre cable linking Cork with technology and finance centres in the US, UK and even Asia will have a transformative effect in enabling the city to attract next-generation digital and financial companies.
“Tier 1 international data connectivity from Cork represents an economic opportunity not just for the Cork region but all regions along the Atlantic corridor,” the CEO of Cork Chamber Conor Healy said.
“This is required to underpin the continued growth of the tech market and to meet traffic demands, both data and voice, which are growing exponentially.
“Express will offer a competitive edge by virtue of the lowest latency to the US, enhanced resilience while also lessening the necessity for companies to route their information through Dublin to reach the UK or the US, which should impact positively on the cost of data transfer.”
Hibernia owns and operates four diverse cable landings and provides six different routes connecting Ireland to North America and Europe on its wholly owned and operated infrastructure. Hibernia’s newest point of presence (PoP) at Cork Internet Exchange (CIX) is also located in Cork.
Spurring growth in Cork
Hibernia originally announced its intention to construct a transatlantic submarine fibre-optic cable network from New York to London offering the fastest route from North America to Europe at Sub 60ms back in September 2010 under Project Express.
“The addition of a spur to connect to Cork was driven by demand from IDA client companies,” explained the IDA’s regional manager for Ireland South Ray O’Connor.
He said the connection of Express to Ireland significantly enhances Ireland and Cork’s proposition as a location for data-intensive businesses in the tech sector.
“The addition of this key element of infrastructure will add greatly to Ireland’s value proposition and further position us as an attractive location for foreign direct investment, as well as incentivising established businesses to develop and grow.
“It also provides a significant and welcome economic boost for Cork.”
Cork City image via Shutterstock
