Felix Seda Honored as New Jersey’s “40 under 40” by NJBiz

October 29, 2020

Our very own Felix Seda, General Manager at NJFX, was honored in a virtual ceremony October 28 by NJBiz as one of New Jersey’s “40 under 40”. The program honors professionals in New Jersey under 40 who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their company’s growth and development. The awards show that professional excellence can be achieved well before a 40th birthday with hard work and passion.

Felix was selected for the honor due to his professional accomplishments and dedication to bringing young talent into the telecommunications industry, a challenge that has been particularly difficult for the subsea sector. Felix quickly climbed the ranks of NJFX, becoming the General Manager after only five years with the company. His dedication and determination to NJFX’s unique mission of creating an avenue for carriers and networks to get as close to the edge as possible and bridging the gap between the subsea cable landing station and landline fiber routes makes him an incredibly valuable asset to the company.

Beyond NJFX, Felix has spearheaded multiple initiatives to educate young professionals on the value of a career in subsea and telecom. He created the Millennial Reception at PTC 2020 to encourage industry newcomers to network with each other and industry veterans to better establish themselves in their careers, and is also working closely on Diversity and Inclusion with SubOptic. He has proven himself as an influential leader and inspiring mentor for young telecom professionals.

The NJFX team is proud to have Felix as a valuable asset for our business. He has proven time and time again through his forward-thinking initiatives, collaborative approach and hardworking spirit that he will continue to become a true icon in the telecommunications industry. Congratulations, Felix!

Watch the full event here!

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About NJFX:

NJFX is a Tier 3 Carrier Neutral Cable Landing Station campus. Our colocation ecosystem has expanded to over 35 network operators offering flexibility, reliability, and security. Our Wall, NJ location provides direct access to multiple subsea cable systems giving our carriers diverse connectivity solutions and offers direct interconnection without recurring cross-connect fees.

NJFX – Unlocking a Gateway to AsiaPac with PCCW

NJFX Blog / Emily Newman

NJFX – Unlocking a Gateway to AsiaPac with PCCW

October 26, 2020

We recently shared a closer look at how New Jersey connects the world through the state’s long history in telecommunications going back to Bell Labs and the world’s first cell phone call in 1973, well before the internet was born. Today, smart phones are ubiquitous and more users are accessing the internet on their phones than ever. New Jersey, along with companies such as NJFX, are still playing an important role in shaping the telecom industry. Having developed a global Cable Landing Station ecosystem, connecting four subsea cables and seven independent U.S. fiber based backhaul providers, NJFX is also a strategic meet point for global carriers. NJFX CLS recently welcomed PCCW Global to our CLS ecosystem. Establishing direct access to PCCW Global’s MPLS network and its award-winning Software-Defined Interconnection® platform, Console Connect, this new PoP brings NJFX customers direct connectivity to a global ecosystem of leading cloud, data center, SaaS, UCaaS, IX and IoT partners.

It is encouraging to see that despite the challenges with the global pandemic, with many lives and businesses severely impacted, along with strained business climates across many regions, that there are many signs of positivity and growth. In the midst of all these unknowns, NJFX is staying true to its mission of truly enabling its clients’ success along with increased collaboration and capabilities for all.

“What we have learned through a very challenging couple of quarters, is that the internet did not break. With millions of people more dependent on staying virtually connected than ever before, we were able to rise to the occasion, providing a robust eco-system with many options for our partners and customers,” states Sarah Kurtz, Business Development Manager for NJFX. “And we quickly learned that building on this ecosystem is the best way to stay connected, reduce latency, increase security and provide the most diverse options we can to our community. PCCW Global’s network has also been especially attractive to U.S. financials who have embraced its reach to AsiaPac. And now, combined with their suite of cloud services, PCCW Global becomes a critical component of global communications.”

Global Interconnection On-Demand

Let’s take a closer look at PCCW Global, a world leader in communications that also has a long history of delivering leading telecoms solutions. The company has built a digital platform called Console Connect that delivers agility and control to customers so they can manage their network and communications services on-demand. Console Connect uses Software-Defined Network technology to make the interconnection of cloud-based services and business-critical applications simple, predictable and secure. It enables users to self-provision connections across a secure MPLS network that delivers significant economies of scale, high-speed performance and flexibility.

“Using the Console Connect platform, NJFX customers can now interconnect in a much smarter and more efficient way, while also managing and delivering their services in real-time,” says Michael Glynn, Vice President of Digital Automated Innovation, PCCW Global. “What sets Console Connect apart is that the digital platform runs on one of the world’s largest MPLS networks that combines the flexibility of on-demand cloud with the security, reliability and performance of high-quality, owned infrastructure, physically separate to the public internet. This makes the platform a particularly strong fit for the stringent security requirements of financial organizations located in and around the NJFX colocation campus.”

Console Connect’s wholesale NNI solution is advantageous for carriers and addresses their unique technical and commercial requirements as part of a digital supply-chain. Providing instant provisioning for carriers, the NNI solution allows organizations to leverage the full range of network automation and connectivity capabilities of Console Connect.

PCCW Global’s Next Generation Network supports a wide portfolio of international voice and data solutions, cost-effective value-added managed services and a range of network monitoring services.

PCCW Global has a strong network reach from the U.S. to Asia offering one of the largest fully-meshed IP backbone networks in the Asia-Pacific region, reaching more than 400 cities with MPLS VPN.

With an extensive and resilient network infrastructure across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, PCCW Global currently meets the international connectivity needs of enterprise, financials and wholesale customers in more than 3,000 cities.

To learn more about PCCW, go to www.pccwglobal.com. To connect with PCCW Global at NJFX, please contact emily @njfx.net.

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About NJFX:

Verizon to Establish Network Point-of-Presence at NJFX

Newsroom / Emily Newman

Verizon to Establish Network Point-of-Presence at NJFX

Its underground fiber long-haul network is a key asset for secure, resilient infrastructures

October 13, 2020

Wall Township, NJ – NJFX, the only Cable Landing Station (CLS) colocation campus in the U.S offering Tier 3, carrier-neutral data center capabilities, today announces that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) has chosen to deploy a new network Point-of-Presence (PoP) at its CLS campus, providing access to Verizon’s global network. One of the largest communication technology companies in the world, Verizon operates America’s most reliable wireless network and the nation’s premier all-fiber network, delivering integrated solutions to businesses worldwide.

“We are especially pleased that Verizon has chosen to establish a Point-of-Presence at our CLS colocation campus, as one of three current backhaul providers at NJFX with underground fiber for its long-haul routes,” states Gil Santaliz, CEO for NJFX. “It has always been our vision to develop NJFX to become North America’s preeminent international hub for subsea communications, interconnecting many international carriers across three continents with multiple secure and reliable backhaul and U.S. termination options. World-class communications providers such as Verizon, as well as subsea cable operators, enterprises and cloud providers within our CLS ecosystem, recognize that NJFX provides a nexus for collaboration where they can build out new and reinforce existing networks with diverse routes while extending their global reach.”

Leveraging its strategic presence at the NJFX CLS, Verizon will have the ability to directly interconnect with subsea capacity services across the Atlantic to Ireland, Denmark and Northern Europe. Strategically located 64 feet above sea level and Category 5 hurricane resistant, the NJFX CLS campus facility offers direct access to multiple independent subsea cable systems, including AEC-2, TGN1, TGN2, and Seabras. Customers can now access Verizon’s global network at NJFX and interconnect with these four subsea cable systems to Europe and South America. European-based clients can transport data to Verizon’s PoP at NJFX and extend their reach to major U.S. metro markets via seven independent fiber-based backhaul providers available at the CLS colocation campus.

NJFX is unique in that it offers access to underground fiber on a long-haul network from multiple backhaul providers for direct and diverse connectivity to core U.S. markets, including Ashburn, Chicago, Dallas, North Carolina, Philadelphia, and other cities, thereby bypassing common points of network failure such as New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Miami. Access to multiple backhaul routes creates truly diverse options that ensure reliability, availability and security of data transport – a critical requirement for carriers and content providers, financial services, healthcare and other enterprises, as well as government agencies, which depend upon maximum uptime.

“At Verizon, we believe that the network is an engine for business growth and innovation,” comments Lynn Smullen, Division Vice President of Sales at Verizon Partner Solutions, “and in order to serve the needs of global organizations today and into the future requires connectivity that maximizes redundancy and reduces latency while fortifying the security of their international data traffic. The deployment of a new network Point-of-Presence at NJFX will expand our clients’ transoceanic and terrestrial connectivity options, presenting new business opportunities both intercontinentally and across North America in core markets.”

For more information, please visit www.njfx.net.

About NJFX

NJFX owns and operates a 64,800 square foot purpose-built Tier 3 Cable Landing Station (CLS) Colocation facility and 58-acre campus in Wall, NJ. This unique campus is the only carrier-neutral CLS colocation campus in the U.S supported by several route-independent carriers that offer direct access to multiple independent subsea cable systems interconnecting North America, Europe, South America and the Caribbean. The facility offers direct access to TGN1, TGN2, and Seabras. The building is the subsea cable landing of HAVFRUE/AEC2 this year as well as Wall-LI in the future. High and low-density colocation solutions are available with 24/7 support.

To request a meeting with NJFX executives, please email [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.njfx.net.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York City, generated revenues of $130.9 billion in 2018. The company operates America’s most awarded network and the nation’s premier all-fiber network, and delivers integrated solutions to businesses worldwide. With brands like Yahoo, TechCrunch and HuffPost, the company’s media group helps consumers stay informed and entertained, communicate and transact, while creating new ways for advertisers and partners to connect. Verizon’s corporate responsibility prioritizes the environmental, social and governance issues most relevant to its business and impact to society.

VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at www.verizon.com/about/news/. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon com/about/rss-feeds/.

For NJFX media inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

For Verizon media inquiries, please contact:
Kevin King
410-353-3234
[email protected]

Howie Waterman
917-359-5505
[email protected]

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About NJFX:

Latest News & Updates

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NEW JERSEY CONNECTS THE WORLD

NJFX Blog / Emily Newman

NEW JERSEY CONNECTS THE WORLD

Garden State’s Tech Landscape is Rich and Storied

October 6, 2020

From the beginning of the telecommunications story, New Jersey has played a crucial chapter. The state is home to the storied Bell Laboratories, where fiber optic cables came to life and the first cellular phone was invented. Today, New Jersey plays an important role in connecting the world, as the landing site of numerous subsea cables and a multitude of terrestrial fiber routes.

Traditionally the cable landing site was just that, a place for subsea cables to make landfall. The cable landing station (CLS) served one purpose: house cable endpoints to be connected to terrestrial routes. Then came the colocation campus, where land and sea cables could meet, along with options for data center services. But even that model is changing very rapidly. Today, the CLS campus is a thriving hub, connecting terrestrial and subsea routes, along with interconnections of all types: major carriers, regional IPs, other subsea systems – all housed in the same place.

NJFX is serving as the North American model for the new CLS hub. And it benefits customers in many ways. Not only are the interconnection points varied and diverse, the site can also serve customers that want to take their data storage offsite. Enterprises are looking to streamline their day-to-day business operations and leave data center and colocation services to the experts, such as NJFX. Recently, a large, New Jersey-based healthcare consulting company decided to move patient data offsite to the NJFX facility. By doing so, the company has access to convenient, low-cost, resilient, diverse connectivity options, in a secure building, located in a suburban area. NJFX is disaster resistant and set away from congested metro areas that could be difficult to access in a crisis, such as the pandemic lockdown. This secure facility is also located 64 feet above sea level, which provides further protection for weather related issues.

At the forefront of the effort to reach out to enterprises, is VP of Business Development Sarah Kurtz. Sarah leads NJFX’s enterprise efforts by providing awareness of unique interconnectivity options and the global reach at the Cable Landing Station campus. As soon as she joined the team last year, she began traveling extensively to introduce NJFX and its capabilities and offerings to the marketplace. In a few short months, those travel efforts were forced to end. Being a digital native who easily adapts to ever-changing technology, Sarah was able to embrace a new way of building virtual relationships.

Sarah, along with NJFX General Manager, Felix Seda – both millennials – are working to engage a younger, more diverse group of professionals to join the telecommunications workforce. After spearheading the Millennials in Telecom reception at PTC 2020, Seda sought to expand the initiative and focus it on the subsea space, leading him to work on initiatives within the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (“DIB”) working group of the SubOptic Association. As a part of the DIB Working group, Felix and Sarah are working alongside the rest of the members to create opportunities for the younger generation to explore the various avenues afforded within the industry.

Members of the leadership team at NJFX have established themselves as thought leaders in the space, and are sought after speakers. This adds a high level of expertise for NJFX, which has cemented itself as a leading carrier-neutral CLS colocation facility, providing international connectivity just a single cross-connect away and generating a high-resilience, low-latency network with direct interconnection options for service providers, enterprises, carrier-neutral operators and cable companies.

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About NJFX:

Content Delivery Summit – October 2020

Events / Emily Newman

Conetent Delivery Summer 2020

The Content Delivery Summit is the longest-running conference focusing on the confluence of the technology and business that enables online publishers to reach audiences at scale. Where performance matters, the underlying networks must bring together numerous components to achieve the perfect balance of reach, reliability, and immediacy to meet and exceed audience expectations.

Request A Meeting With Us!

Events

ITW 2020 – June 15-18 – VIRTUAL

October 7, 2019

ITW Virtual 2020 ITW (International Telecoms Week) is the annual meeting for the global wholesale telecoms industry, providing a platform for 7,000 delegates from 2,000+

Meet Us »

Submarine Networks EMEA 2020

September 18, 2019

Submarine Networks EMEA London, UK – Since its launch in 2018, Submarine Networks EMEA has successfully firmed its position as the pre-eminent subsea-focused event in the

Meet Us »

NANOG 78

September 18, 2019

NANOG 78 San Francisco, California – Get up to speed on the latest networking challenges and best practices with hours of peer-reviewed talks, tutorials, keynotes, and panels,

Meet Us »

Explore More

Content Delivery Summit – October 2020 Read More »

Fortify Your Network Reach – DE-CIX New York is Now Available At NJFX

NJFX Blog / Emily Newman

Fortify Your Network Reach – DE-CIX New York is Now Available At NJFX

September 22, 2020

Want to reach the leading ISPs, content providers, cloud providers and global carriers all at one location? Now, you can have direct access to all of these and more at NJFX. Fortifying its network interconnection capabilities to support its customers’ requirements for resilient and reliable peering and connectivity options, NJFX proudly welcomes the DE-CIX New York Internet Exchange (IX).

We first announced DE-CIX coming to NJFX earlier this year and this latest development expands access for NJFX customers to now have direct connectivity to DE-CIX New York, one of the top five IX’s in North America.

“Our collaborative approach in working with the world’s leading carriers, subsea cable providers and Internet Exchanges, has made NJFX an essential interconnection hub,” commented Felix Seda, Partner and General Manager of NJFX. “The direct and local access to DE-CIX New York is a huge benefit for our customers and will offer increased access to low-latency capabilities that enable local peering and network connectivity.” NJFX customers can directly reach DE-CIX from a number of subsea systems and network routes without traversing through congested New York metro area routes.

Through a single port with DE-CIX at NJFX, networks can peer with DE-CIX New York networks and connect to DE-CIX European Exchanges with VLAN access to reach over 2000 networks globally. DE-CIX New York is operated by the world’s largest carrier and data center neutral IX in the world and offers:

Access from 16 unique data centers
Reach to 230+ networks
Reach to over 2000 global networks
Improved performance
Reduced Costs

At NJFX’s Tier III carrier-neutral Cable Landing Station and data center, you can also reach four subsea cable systems, 80% of U.S. carriers, and over 270 ASN’s locally with additional access to over 1,800 unique ASN’s globally. Offering access to multiple backhaul providers for direct and diverse connectivity to Ashburn, Chicago, Philadelphia, North Carolina, Dallas and other cities around the US, NJFX eliminates New York City as a single point of failure.

Check out our robust interconnection services suite HERE. To learn more, please email [email protected].

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About NJFX:

PCCW Global brings global on-demand connectivity to NJFX through new point-of-presence

Newsroom / Emily Newman

PCCW Global brings global on-demand connectivity to NJFX through new point-of-presence

September 17, 2020

HKT (SEHK:6823) – HONG KONG, PCCW Global, a leading international communications service provider, and New Jersey Fiber Exchange (NJFX), the only Cable Landing Station (CLS) colocation campus in the U.S offering Tier 3, carrier-neutral data center capabilities, today announced the launch of a new point-of-presence (PoP) at NJFX CLS for direct access to PCCW Global’s MPLS network and the Console Connect platform.

The availability of Console Connect’s Software Defined Interconnection^® platform at the NJFX carrier-neutral CLS facility in New Jersey immediately brings connectivity on-demand to NJFX customers, giving them instant and easy access to a global ecosystem of leading cloud, data center, SaaS, UcaaS, IX and IoT partners.

Console Connect’s Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform also offers extended coverage to more than 350 data centers in 44 countries worldwide. The automated Console Connect fabric is underpinned by PCCW Global’s industry-leading IP backbone and MPLS network which spans more than 3,000 cities and 160 countries.

Via the new PoP at the NJFX CLS, users can access PCCW Global’s MPLS network – either by using the Console Connect centralized port or by leveraging the open API platform – and directly reach major cities across Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Financial organizations located at NJFX CLS can also leverage the secure, uncontended PCCW Global MPLS network to access financial markets globally.

Mr. Marc Halbfinger, Chief Executive Officer, PCCW Global, said, “Establishing a PoP at NJFX provides Console Connect and PCCW Global users with access to direct, low latency routes to major business hubs along the east coast. At the same time, we are excited to bring Console Connect’s on-demand global connectivity to NJFX customers, who can experience the agility and flexibility of Software Defined Interconnection^®.”

NJFX’s carrier-neutral CLS colocation campus offers direct access to multiple independent subsea cable systems interconnecting North America, Europe, South America and the Caribbean. The facility serves a growing ecosystem of global carriers, content providers, enterprises and government entities, and offers access to more than 10 terrestrial backhaul fiber routes across North America.

Mr. Gil Santaliz, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of NJFX, said, “We welcome PCCW Global to NJFX’s rich carrier-neutral CLS ecosystem. Our ‘Tier 3 by the Subsea’ motto emphasizes NJFX’s unique advantage of having diverse interconnection options located at a cable landing station. With PCCW Global, our customers now have increased access to routes across Asia Pacific through their robust global IP network.”

About PCCW Global

PCCW Global is a leading international communications service provider, offering the latest mobility, voice and data solutions to multinational enterprises, telecommunications partners, cloud and application service providers. Our truly global coverage combined with local on-the-ground knowledge has helped us build best-in-class global connections linking Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. Our network supports a portfolio of integrated communications services including connectivity, applications, and tailored solutions integrated and orchestrated by the Console Connect on-demand digital Software Defined Interconnection ® platform, one of the first global platforms to fully automate switching and routing of all communications for seamless interconnection.

To learn more about PCCW Global, please visit www.pccwglobal.com.

About Console Connect

Console Connect is PCCW Global’s Software Defined Interconnection® platform which spans over 40 countries, capitalizing on our low latency, fully-redundant, uncontended global MPLS Network. The Console Connect digital platform allows users to instantly self-provision connectivity between carriers, enterprises, cloud, SaaS, IX, IoT, UCaaS, Security-as-a-service and other network-as-a-service partners in seconds.

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About NJFX:

Latest News & Updates

Stay informed with the latest press releases, industry news, and more.

Telxius teams up with NJFX to Deliver Fully Diverse Subsea Cable Connectivity Across the Atlantic and Latin America

October 18, 2022

Colt launches PoP at NJFX bolstering subsea connectivity across the Atlantic

October 18, 2022

Luminaries in Telecom “The Man Who Bent Light”

October 5, 2022

Luminaries in Telecom “Field’s Quest”

September 13, 2022

Operating the NJFX CLS Campus

July 12, 2022

Experts in Infrastructure from the Data Center to the Desktop Interviews CEO Gil Santaliz

July 5, 2022

Explore More

PCCW Global brings global on-demand connectivity to NJFX through new point-of-presence Read More »

SUMMER 2020: ONE FOR THE BOOKS!

NJFX Blog / Emily Newman

SUMMER 2020: ONE FOR THE BOOKS!

September 9, 2022

Summer 2020 was no usual summer. But summer at the shore is always welcome, and here at NJFX, that meant business as usual. We remained committed to our customers and continued building our ecosystem, at a time when international connectivity takes on increased urgency and importance.

Summer became a period of transition for many businesses beginning to look beyond the pandemic. At NJFX, we announced three new additions to our ecosystem, with three Points of Presence (PoP) at NJFX. In May, we welcomed Cogent Communications, one of the world’s largest internet service providers. As a multinational, Tier-1 facilities-based ISP, Cogent Communications is consistently ranked as one of the top five backbone networks in the world.

Also in May, NetIX, a European based interconnected internet exchange made its first foray in North America right here at NJFX. NetIX has a unique reach into Eastern Europe. The internet exchange is now bringing together NJFX tenants and its own global network, including its full portfolio of solutions, of more than 30 IXPs with 140+ members.

NJFX Happy Hour — Most recently, team NJFX hosted an outdoor happy hour for a small group of colleagues and partners, including representatives from multinational financial institutions, OTTs and carriers. NJFX is continuing to build the (socially distant!) relationships that bring a robust ecosystem to NJFX as it works to serve its community.

In June, we were pleased to onboard CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL), a global communications service provider. The connection to CenturyLink’s terrestrial fiber network provides access to the service provider’s routes across North America.

As it supports massive shifts in traffic, the telecommunications infrastructure industry is also working to take steps that address its environmental impact. To that end, NJFX is very proud to announce that its facility is now carbon neutral.

The leadership team at NJFX embraced the brave new world of virtual events this summer. Starting with a virtual career presentation to STEM Academy students at Matawan Regional High School. The presentation included discussions about career opportunities in telecommunications infrastructure from NJFX’s Business Development Manager Sarah Kurtz. Also on the panel was NJFX’s first fully virtual intern and Virginia Tech student Amanda Kadunce.

The team attended the first ever virtual ITW. Founder and CEO Gil Santaliz participated in a virtual session entitled “Community: Subsea.” The focus was on the latest transatlantic cable projects, now entering a renewal phase. In July, Gil virtually attended Capacity Media’s Subsea World and spoke on a panel entitled “Subsea Resilience in Times of Crisis,” highlighting the role of the subsea industry on the interconnections that power global communications even during unprecedented challenges.

FLASHBACK: Pre-COVID, NJFX’s CLS campus served as an international model for subsea connectivity. A delegation of officials from Chile and Ecuador visited the campus earlier this year as part of a reverse trade mission, to learn more about achieving an optimal model of interconnection for future projects. The mission was part of a feasibility study for a planned project to connect the west coast of South America to Asia via subsea cable, dubbed the “Asia South America Digital Gateway”.

Recognizing NJFX’s leadership in the New Jersey business community, General Manager Felix Seda was honored with the NJBiz “40 Under 40” award. The award honors young business leaders in New Jersey who are making their mark.

Felix also attended the virtual Content Delivery Summit in June. The event addressed the increase in virtual school, work and even doctor visits plus the increase in demand of entertainment services, gaming, streaming, and the like. due to stay home directives. Felix participated in a panel called “Energy, Submarine, Fiber Carrier Interconnect”, focusing on the infrastructure needed to enable the massive digital shift.

As a member of SubOptic, Felix is taking an integral role as part of this industry association working hard to establish a pipeline to reinvigorate the subsea/telecom industry. The goal is to enable strategic internship and mentorship programs, to allow for the new wave of leaders pushing the industry forward.

As if we were not already dealing with unprecedented changes, NJFX also had to ramp up disaster recovery (DR) planning as Tropical Storm Isaias barreled through the state. More than 2.8M people in the tri-state area lost power. NJFX continued operations on backup generator under its Covid-19/hurricane preparedness protocols. Working in lockstep with local officials, and having the technical expertise, NJFX remained a priority as part of the restoration efforts.

This summer, NJFX proved the company is agile and ready to shift priorities to make sure its ecosystem is supported, no matter what challenges arise.

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About NJFX:

HawkTalk 52 with Gil Santaliz, CEO at NJFX

Newsroom / Emily Newman

HawkTalk 52 with Gil Santaliz, CEO at NJFX

Published by datacenterHawk on September 1, 2020

WALL TOWNSHIP, NJ –

“Covid has transformed and accelerated the process of which was already happening in terms of workforce enablement, flexibility, and data anywhere.” – Gil Santaliz, CEO for NJFX

Santaliz explains all of this and more in his recent interview with datacenterHawk’s Founder, David Liggit. Check it all out in the Hawk Talk Video Episode 52.

Starting his career with MCI back in 1990, Santaliz commented that the industry has certainly seen a lot change since then, moving from fax machines to the cloud. Years later Santaliz transitioned from the voice side of the industry into fiber infrastructure with his company, 4Connections, which deployed dark fiber routes across New Jersey and New York. His team supported key infrastructure needed to connect hospitals, schools and Cable Landing Stations (CLS). As Santaliz put it, it was the, “true heart of global network infrastructure.” 4Connections was later sold to Optimum Lightpath, a subsidiary of New York cable operator Cablevision (now Altice USA), in 2008.

Santaliz went on to tell the story of how NJFX got its start. The property next to where NJFX resides today was first developed by Tata Communications during the dotcom craze. Subcom had invested in a cable that went from Wall, NJ around the world, anchored by Tata’s substantial Cable Landing Station. NJFX and its partners invested in the property next door to the CLS, built a meet-me-room and in 2015, NJFX was born as the first carrier-neutral CLS campus in the United States.

Making the World a Smaller Place

Today, CLS’s play an important role, as the transmission location for 99% of internet traffic globally. NJFX interconnects three continents with four subsea cables connecting North America, South America, Caribbean and Europe.

It took six to seven minutes to transmit a message across the original subsea cables dating back to the 1800’s. Today, it takes a fraction of a second. “Subsea cables made the world a smaller place,” commented Santaliz.

Impact of Covid 19: Challenges and Solutions

And even though the impact of life during Covid-19 is still evolving, some of the immediate effects we’ve seen include a huge increase of global IP. Gil shared how the pandemic has shown us even more how critical data centers are. The home has become the new disaster recovery site.

“Covid has transformed and accelerated the process of which was already happening in terms of workforce enablement, flexibility, data anywhere,” commented Santaliz.

“Fascinating to see the changes. I’m not sure the world would have moved as quickly obviously into this technology advancement, unless something like this [Covid] was in place,” stated Liggit.

The Who’s Who in Telecom

With a great community of carriers and strategic location 65 feet above sea level, NJFX is actively courting new subsea cables. The company has a proven track record in operating the facility, as well as the land that it owns. As Gil explained, “We have one of the largest banks in the U.S moving in to take advantage of the NJFX infrastructure and to be part of the subsea community. [Organizations] need to know how their networks work. They are no longer able to just be a customer of subsea systems. They need to be actively involved in the design and how that system is managed because they need to be digitally enabled – and that is the magic word today. You have to be digitally enabled in order to be able to conduct busines, educate students and conduct public safety. If you don’t have your connection, you don’t exist, you have got to be connected all the time.”

Liggitt agreed, “That is true. That is the quote of the conversation. You do have to be connected all the time. It is the expectation today in the world we live. It will be fun to watch the growth take place as you are in the middle of it.”

To catch the whole conversation, see below or click here.

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About NJFX:

NJFX General Manager Felix Seda Named to NJBiz “40 Under 40” List

NJFX Blog / Emily Newman

NJFX General Manager Felix Seda Named to NJBiz “40 Under 40” List

Recognized among New Jersey’s Young Movers and Shakers in Business

August 18, 2020

Felix Seda, the General Manager at NJFX, has been recognized by NJBiz as one of New Jersey’s “40 Under 40”. This program recognizes New Jersey business leaders, under the age of 40, who share a commitment to business growth, professional excellence and their community.

The annual 40 Under 40 Awards honor the movers and shakers making their mark in New Jersey business. These young, noteworthy business people represent a wide range of industries. They prove much can be accomplished before your 40th birthday with determination, passion and drive.

Felix came to NJFX by way of the financial field, holding a management position at Barclay’s Wealth. Now, after only five years as NJFX General Manager, he has played a key role in accomplishing NJFX’s unique mission: to create an avenue for carriers and networks to get as close to the edge as possible, bridging the gap between the subsea cable landing station and landline fiber routes. He has played a major role in the success of this mission, which has made New Jersey a major player in the tech and telecom industry, putting it on the map as a global hub of communications.

Felix’s impact on the industry as a whole is also demonstrated beyond his work with NJFX. He is dedicated to bringing young talent into the telecom industry by spearheading a number of millennial-focused initiatives to encourage the education and engagement of young professionals. He created the Millennial Reception at PTC 2020, aimed at bringing new telecom employees together to network and engage with select industry veterans to further their careers. He is also working closely with SubOptic, a global organization invested in the long-term success of the fiber optic subsea communications industry, on its Diversity and Inclusion initiative.

He sees the value of recruiting young professionals, many of which are digital natives, and the unique perspective they may bring to an industry that is often so dominated by veterans involved from the beginning of the modern internet. The hiring and involvement of these fresh, young professionals will do a great deal to propel the industry into the future. Felix was also recently named on the Capacity Media Power 100 List for his professional accomplishments.

NJBiz is New Jersey’s leading business journal. The “40 Under 40” awards will be presented virtually on October 28th.

You can see the complete “40 Under 40” list here.

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