Emily Newman

Flying The Skies to Wire the Seas

Flying The Skies to Wire the Seas

Should the Subsea Cable Industry Stop Traveling?

 

Gil Santaliz

CEO

SubTel Forum Magazine #124 – Global Capacity

Published on May

Subtel Forum Magazine – To an extent, more effective management practices around “new normal” work practices also depend on age group.

“Young people are preferring the ease of flexibility that comes with video calls while the older generation much prefers the advantages that come with face-to-face interactions,” says Felix Seda, General Manager for NJFX.

The younger generation is more accustomed to using break-out rooms for discussions and chatbox for opinion sharing or informal responses to what’s being discussed live. For the veterans of the industry, the community has been formed more actively in person, over a set of drinks, or on the golf course. And yet, as another industry member points out, “ in an era where we need to infuse ‘new blood’ into our industry, in-person meetings have a sort of On the-Job-Training benefits for new industry entrants as trainees.” When it comes down to it, the medium doesn’t alone determine success, solve a problem, create a problem, or create a community—people do. Be it face-to-face or via video conferencing platforms, many of our industry interviewees pointed out, that humans tend to bring their habits and energy

Click here to read the full article.

Click here to read this month’s issue of SubTel Forum Magazine.

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.

More In the News

Flying The Skies to Wire the Seas Read More »

NJFX Shows Support At The 11th Annual Charity Golf Outing for Make-A-Wish New Jersey

NJFX Shows Support At The 11th Annual Charity Golf Outing for Make-A-Wish New Jersey

NJFX attends the 11th Annual Charity Golf Outing for Make-A-Wish New Jersey Supporting Children with Critical Illnesses.

Gil Santaliz

CEO

June 16, 2022

NEW JERSEY –Aaron Boone took time from managing the New York Yankees, which now have the best record in Major League Baseball, to help Make-A-Wish® New Jersey.

Boone is a long-time supporter of Make-A-Wish® New Jersey, which creates life-changing wishes for children battling critical illnesses in the Garden State. More than 300 people came together this week at a charity golf event at the Forsgate Country Club and The Samuel & Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place where Boone welcomed everyone to the event.

Guy Chiarello, Executive Chair of the 11th Annual Charity Golf Outing and Chief Operating Officer of Fiserv, used his leadership within the fintech industry to support this event and bring light to the cause for over 13 years.

“Children often come to Make-A-Wish at a frightening time in their lives, when they are dealing with hospital trips and uncertainty,” said NJFX CEO Gil Santaliz, who attended the event. “Events like these are important to help fulfill the spirits of these critically ill children, who need support, care, and hope at a time when they need it most. NJFX is proud to support Make-A-Wish New Jersey and thanks to the Strongbow Group for inviting us to this magical event.”

The Charity Golf Outing has raised millions of dollars for several critical causes during the past 11 years, with a special focus on the advancement of cancer research, health services, and youth education services. Proceeds from the outing are supporting several organizations, including Make-A-Wish NJ, the Leukemia & Lymphoma SocietyA Chance in Life, and Capital Health.

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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.

More In the News

NJFX Shows Support At The 11th Annual Charity Golf Outing for Make-A-Wish New Jersey Read More »

Felix Seda Awarded Capacity Media’s Power 100!

Felix Seda Awarded Capacity Media’s Power 100!

Nominated by the industry and compiled by Capacity, the 2022 Power 100 profiles the trailblazers, innovators, and leaders driving the global digital infrastructure space. Now in its fourth-year, the list is who is who of the most influential people in our field.

Felix Seda

General Manager

June 13, 2022

CAPACITY EDITORIAL – Felix Seda is dedicated to bringing young talent into the telecommunication industry by spearheading several millennial-focused initiatives to encourage the education and engagement of young professionals. He created the Millennials in Telecom Reception at PTC in 2020, aimed at bringing young telecom employees together to network and engage with select industry veterans.

Felix sees value in recruiting young professionals, many are digital natives, and the unique perspective they may bring to an industry that is often dominated by veterans. The involvement and development of these fresh, young professionals will do a great deal to propel the industry into the future.

Felix is working closely with the PTC Advisory Council for young professionals to be more involved at industry conferences and secure a seat at the table where pivotal conversations shape the industry’s future. Felix is working to establish a Buy One Get One Free program that will allow nominated individuals from member organizations to attend the conference with free registration.

Aside from helping shape the future of the Telecom industry, Felix has been instrumental in growing the ecosystem at NJFX’s CLS connectivity campus. His involvement in network development helped establish new logos at NJFX such as AT&T, Eastlink, and UPIX.

View the fourth annual Power 100 in the June/July issue here.

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.

Media Contact:
Emily Newman, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
[email protected]

More In the News

Nominated by the industry and compiled by Capacity, the 2022 Power 100 profiles the trailblazers, innovators, and leaders driving the global digital infrastructure space. Now in its fourth-year, the list is who is who of the most influential people in our field.

June 13, 2022 CAPACITY EDITORIALFelix Seda is dedicated to bringing young talent into the telecommunication industry by spearheading several millennial-focused initiatives to encourage the education and engagement of young professionals. He created the Millennials in Telecom Reception at PTC in 2020, aimed at bringing young telecom employees together to network and engage with select industry veterans. Felix sees value in recruiting young professionals, many are digital natives, and the unique perspective they may bring to an industry that is often dominated by veterans. The involvement and development of these fresh, young professionals will do a great deal to propel the industry into the future. Felix is working closely with the PTC Advisory Council for young professionals to be more involved at industry conferences and secure a seat at the table where pivotal conversations shape the industry’s future. Felix is working to establish a Buy One Get One Free program that will allow nominated individuals from member organizations to attend the conference with free registration. Aside from helping shape the future of the Telecom industry, Felix has been instrumental in growing the ecosystem at NJFX’s CLS connectivity campus. His involvement in network development helped establish new logos at NJFX such as AT&T, Eastlink, and UPIX. View the fourth annual Power 100 in the June/July issue here.  About NJFX NJFX owns and operates a 64,800 square foot purpose-built Tier 3 Cable Landing Station (CLS) Colocation 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 the Confluence system in the near future. High and low-density colocation solutions are available with 24/7 support.  
Media Contact:
Emily Newman, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
[email protected]

Felix Seda Awarded Capacity Media’s Power 100! Read More »

NYNOG 20

The NJFX team is attending NYNOG!

We are excited to network and socialize with everyone at this year’s NYNOG 20.

Say hello to Felix Seda, Emily Newman, and Eric Carlson from the NJFX team!

Request A Meeting With Us!

Events

NANOG ’83

Join us in Minneapolis for NANOG 83 Incredible Programming, Network Opportunities + More Minneapolis, MN: November 1-3, 2021 Request A Meeting With Us! Events

Meet Us »
Subsea World Virtual Event

Subsea World July

Americas session: Americas Spotlight Panel Exploring diverse new routes and interlinking landing points 17:00-18:00 GMT This session opens with a series of brief cable update

Meet Us »
CDS

Content Delivery Summit

Content Delivery Summet 2021 Now in its 14th year, the Content Delivery Summit is the longest-running conference focusing on the confluence of the technology and

Meet Us »

NYNOG 20 Read More »

Inclusion First Forum Discussion: Can We Plug the Talent Gap?

Inclusion First Forum Discussion: Can We Plug the Talent Gap?

Felix Seda from NJFX, Tara Kristick from Telstra, and Stephanie Gilbert from Sequential Tech come together in a roundtable discussion about the industry’s challenges with recruitment, the retirement cliff, women in the industry, and countering implicit bias in our recruitment process.

Felix Seda

General Manager

May 16, 2022

WASHINGTON DC – As organizations start to return to in-person events like International Telcoms Week, a top-of-mind topic in the sector is the “war for talent” as leaders aim to engage and embrace new talent into the industry and encourage diversity and inclusion.

NJFX was one of many organizations that were represented at the table along with, Telstra, Sequential Tech, the United States Air Force, Exa, and a few other companies. The session featured how other companies in this industry are dealing with the upcoming challenges of the retirement cliff and shared key insights to plug the talent gap.

Tara KristickVice President of Program Management, International Growth and Corporate Social Responsibility at Telstra, started the session by explaining how the Australia-based telecom giant is solving the challenges of the upcoming retirement cliff as many baby boomers reach retirement age.

“Telstra’s organization is having transparent conversations about their plans for retirement. The key is to have open conversations with your employees early in their careers. You should continue to have these conversations throughout their career, so you have a clear understanding of what their retirement plan is,” Tara told ITW attendees.

Tara mentioned how to attract new people into the workforce, specifically, women to level out the playing field. She lists three great key attributes that women look for when applying to companies:

  • A workforce that offers flexibility
  • A career that offers growth development
  • Companies that participate in mentorship programs.

“There are many programs like  Step into STEM, where you can become a mentor and get involved with high school students and help guide them to internships. If you start to attract the talent you need to effectively get a new generation into the industry, doing succession planning around the retirement gap and putting mentor programs into place,” Tara added.

Tara brought up great points about raising awareness about opportunities in the subsea industry. While conferences can bring attention to these issues about recruiting and retention, many of the attendees are the same faces from 20 years ago.

Noah DrakePresident of the Americas at Telstra said the company is looking into universities and high schools to start mentorships and engage underserved communities in the industry.

Noah discusses a program based in Colorado called Career Connect that offers courses led by volunteered mentors getting them interested in projects, and supporting the applications that they find so valuable; Minecraft, TikTok, etc. The more we can interact with students about the industry the more we can alleviate the foreign concept. Now when students start to attend job fairs, they will recognize company names, and start to create familiarity, he said.

There are many programs that corporations can volunteer for and help educate young students, however, once they become a part of the ecosystem their chance of attending a conference is not very likely.

NJFX General Manager Felix Seda raises some good points about how young professionals do not have the opportunities to attend shows, educate themselves, and get a seat at the table.

“There are many young professionals in our industry who are not granted the opportunity to attend these events. Working with Pacific Telecommunication Council Advisory Board and Marketing to create a Buy One Get One Free Program, offering free registration to professionals thirty-five and under that will attend these shows that normally would not have a chance,” Felix said.

The veterans in the industry do not want to give up their seats at these shows.

“You need to have a seat at the table and be a part of these strategic conversations,” Felix added.

Stephanie GilbertChief Commercial Officer at Sequential Tech proposed creating a volunteer committee to energize telecommunications conferences and diversify talent. The group leads the discussion on recruiting talent and what key skills, education, and experience companies are looking for when hiring. Stephanie asked ITW conference attendees at their session to raise their hands if their degree is related to their profession. Only two people raised their hands.

“You talk to people outside of the industry and everyone thinks you need to have an engineering background,” Felix said. “I do not have an engineering background, I studied Political Science and Public Policy & Law and I am doing anything related to that field, but you use all those skills to your advantage,” Felix said.

“There are many roles that you can explore within the subsea/telecom space such as business development, finance, and marketing,” Felix added. “There are many avenues that you can take, and this industry is so unique, vast, and consistently growing. I think this mindset is part of what we need to change in the recruitment process.”

Addressing ‘Complicit Bias’

One of the attendees raised a question about countering “complicit bias” – when executives turn a blind eye to addressing diversity in the recruitment process.

Stephanie responded, “I just recently went through the better part of last year interviewing and exploring opportunities on what I really want to do next. Through the process, I got exposure to what it was like as a woman of color to go through the recruitment process through large and small firms in this industry. It was really eye-opening to see that process unfold and where the opportunities came from and where they did not. In this industry people just tag each other in and out of jobs. There is no formal process, it is all word of mouth, and you are more likely to get it from that tag.”

NJFX CEO, Gil Santaliz adds, “I started my career at MCI in 1990 and we called it a University because we were all growing up together and it was a young environment. I still have these friendships today in the industry in many different forms and it does seem like a club that you need to be invited to. If you are a person of color or female you need to recruit others to join you and support their growth and mentor them. Once they move on to a new position, keep in touch and think about long-term relationship.”

When thinking about the interview process, we want to think about how we can avoid complicit bias and make sure we are not just checking a box on the interview process or tagging someone in.

“We want to remove any bias and the first step is to be aware that you have bias,” Tara said. “Take a breath before you go into the interview and think of the three common things that can happen. There is attraction bias where a person looks good and sounds good, so they must be good. Second, there is an infinity bias, you went to the same college or grew up in the same town, and we have those similarities so we must be alike. Lastly, you have confirmation bias, assumptions in your head about answers you are looking for and if they are not following that path if you want to say you start to tune them out.”

Stephanie mentioned how recruiters can use blind resumes – removing names or identifiers, such as sports, that might give an indication if candidates are male or female. People from other countries will give them an American nickname on LinkedIn so recruiters would give them callbacks. There is a lot of bias around that, and we need to be thoughtful when going through the process, Stephanie said.

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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.

More In the News

Inclusion First Forum Discussion: Can We Plug the Talent Gap? Read More »

Keeping The Lights On

Keeping The Lights On

From 9/11 to Hurricane Sandy, the US has had a number of wake-up calls when it comes to its infrastructure. NJFX founder and CEO Gil Santaliz tells Melanie Mingas where the next points of failure could occur

Gil Santaliz

CEO

May 10, 2022

Capacity Media – Despite the rapid and widespread deployment of advanced connectivity infrastructure, the US has experienced several major outages over the past 20 years that happened just when the country needed its networks the most. The first major lesson in network resilience came on 9/11 when infrastructure damage and traffic surges took out mobile networks.

“9/11 was a wake-up call to how global connectivity actually operates,”

says NJFX founder and CEO Gil Santaliz.

“The number of calls getting through was one in four or one in 10, depending on the time of day. The basic lesson learned was that phones aren’t meant for everyone to use at the same time,” he adds.

Then, in 2012, came Hurricane Sandy. This event took out mobile and fixed connectivity as well as TV and entire data centres – what’s more, it proved that traditional subsea architectures were flawed. Aggregating traffic to route through New York and Miami had created two huge points of failure and the impact was felt as far afield as Europe.

“During Sandy, lower Manhattan lost power for multiple days and many providers lost all their capacity between North America and Europe, while some lost capacity between South America and Europe. Lower Manhattan affected global communications and it was after Sandy that the OTTs started on the path we are on today, and that was to diversify subsea architecture,” he recalls.

Today, New York is “no longer the epicentre” of US telecoms infrastructure and a series of diverse routes make a repeat of 2012 unlikely. However, while the industry has spent the past 20 years experiencing and solving these issues, another has emerged.

Twenty years ago, data centres occupied old corporate units across Manhattan; now they have largely moved to states with swathes of vacant land and tax incentives. “But what we left behind was the internet,” Santaliz says. “In those buildings in New York City, in Miami, where everything comes to one point to intersect.”

He is referring to the middle mile, the everything between the two last miles, where the bulk of network activity is concentrated.

He continues: “Internet connectivity now is dependent on infrastructure built 20, 40, 60 years ago that used to be office buildings or department stores. But once I leave that data centre or home, I have to compute and process that data – and, unfortunately, a lot of that middle mile infrastructure was not purpose-built, it was inherited.”

The solution sounds simple enough: continue to upgrade, but with business models based on collaboration, and focus on the future, rather than the capacity demands of the present. The catch is that such endeavours are expensive.

To help things along, late last year the US introduced a middle mile funding programme, intended to close gaps in underserved areas and create alternative network paths. As part of the US$65 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, it will see $1 billion made available to carriers.

“I think the new standard has to be to invest with a long-term view. Don’t put band-aids on problems you’re having, and don’t add more capacity in buildings that don’t make long-term sense. Start thinking about the end in mind, because a band-aid is only as good as a band-aid. You have to plan for a full solution,” Santaliz says.

“If New York City is still a single point of failure in your network, shame on you – because we have known that for a long time. Build resiliency into your platform,” he adds.

Different roads

For its part, NJFX celebrates seven years in operation in September and has a target to host 60 network operators by the end of 2023, up from 45 by the end of this year.

On the realities of that, Santaliz says: “They have to invest with you, they have to plan how to come to the building. If they all took the same road to bring their fibre to the building, we would have a single point of failure on that road that comes to the facility. We took the time to explai

Gil Santaliz moderates a session at ITW 2022 discussing 'The Never Down Internet Infrastructure'
Starting from the left: Gil Santaliz NJFX, Kevin Briggs CISA, Guy Tal LUMEN, Peter Cohen MICROSOFT

n to each different provider to take different roads.”

These issues are explored later today in the 4pm panel on stage A, The Reality of Never Down Network Infrastructure. Joining Santaliz on the panel is Kevin Briggs, regional protective security adviser at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency(CISA), which NJFX has worked with recently. Briggs is expe ted to share further details on how the agency aims to work with carriers.

“A lot of us in the industry are afraid of regulations, but it’s just the opposite. This group is here to try and provide support and resources and provide a way to collaborate on common issues that all carriers have. How do we keep these networks up and running and never down?”

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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.

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Keeping The Lights On Read More »

Trusted Middle Mile

Trusted Middle Mile

NJFX is The Trusted Middle Mile for over 35 independent network carriers on our campus

May 9, 2022

Wall Township, NJ –  The work-from-home movement has redefined where and how the Internet is used with video conferencing becoming a staple of the workday. When you combine that with cloud applications and the Internet of Things (IoT), we have become a more connected society with greater quantities of bits and bytes consuming greater amounts of broadband capacity. NJFX’s evolution since its founding in 2015 embodies “The Trusted Middle Mile” with its connections between subsea cables, U.S. terrestrial networks, Internet exchanges, global cloud, and content delivery network operators.  The Tier 3 purpose-built, subsea cable landing station now has 4 subsea cables operational and helping to connect over 30 independent network operators.

Today Multinational Banks, Global Cloud Operators, Tier1 Global ISP’s, US Carriers, and a variety of other networks use this NJFX Trusted Middle Mile infrastructure. AT&T just announced its addition of a network Point-of-Presence at NJFX, enhancing connectivity across the Atlantic Ocean and to Latin America.

Getting these independent network operators to install their Point of Presence using a variety of independent rights of ways takes years. Some come by land and others by sea, the ultimate network route diversity. Routes from Denmark, Norway, Ireland, the UK, Brazil, and the Caribbean use subsea access for their routes to NJFX. Zayo, ATT, Lumen, Lightpath, Crown Castle, UFD, Windstream, Aurelion, Epsilon, Zenfi, and Verizon designed their own independent unique terrestrial underground and aerial routes to insure resilience to our community of carriers.

Our NJFX facility has been designed and built with a resilience in mind security, physical safety, and redundant power supplies in mind. NJFX’s team is trained, coordinates with DHS/CISA for resources/information flow and supports customers 24x7x365 to troubleshoot network issues.

Today, NJFX’s role in supporting telecommunications has become more important than ever as more organizations – and consumers – connect with cloud-based applications, stream video and devote more activity online – all of which demand a purpose-built Middle Mile Infrastructure. Computing is increasingly happening in more remote portions of the world and depends upon the information to flow freely. Getting access to that data is all about the network, the middle mile which connects your home with the rest of the online world.

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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.

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Trusted Middle Mile Read More »

AT&T Launches Strategic Network Point-of-Presence at NJFX Cable Landing Station

AT&T Launches Strategic Network Point-of-Presence at NJFX Cable Landing Station

AT&T Launches Strategic Network Point-of-Presence in Wall, NJ

May 5, 2022

WALL TOWNSHIP  – AT&T* recently added a network Point-of-Presence (PoP) within the NJFX Cable Landing Station (CLS) colocation campus located in Wall, NJ. This strategic deployment provides access to AT&T’s domestic and global network and helps increase network efficiency for customers.

We will offer services from our Ethernet and transport portfolio including AT&T Virtual Private Network, Ethernet Private Line Service, OPT-E-WAN, and AT&T Dedicated Internet/Managed Internet Service for speeds up to 100G.

The new PoP will provide access for customers to directly interconnect with subsea capacity services across the Atlantic to Europe and Latin America. International-based customers can transport data to AT&T’s PoP and extend their reach to major U.S. metro markets via their robust U.S. backbone system. Customers can also interexchange traffic across the multiple subsea cable systems available at NJFX, including TGN1, TGN2, and Seabras.

“We are continually looking for ways to strategically expand our offerings to customers,” said Michael DeChiara, Associate Vice President, AT&T Wholesale Solutions. “Through our new Point-of-Presence at NJFX, we have added another critical location to address customer’s growing requirements for access to our advanced and powerful global network, including our extensive fiber footprint in the U.S., which is now available coast-to-coast for wholesale customers.”

“We are pleased that AT&T has chosen to establish a Point-of-Presence at our CLS colocation campus, states Gil Santaliz, CEO of 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 like AT&T 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.”

*About AT&T

We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.

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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.

For NJFX media inquiries, please contact: emily@njfx.net

AT&T Launches Strategic Network Point-of-Presence at NJFX Cable Landing Station Read More »

NANOG 85

Join us in Montreal, Quebec for NANOG 85!

Schedule a time to chat with the NJFX’s team, Felix Seda and Emily Newman.

See you soon!

Request A Meeting With Us!

Events

NANOG ’83

Join us in Minneapolis for NANOG 83 Incredible Programming, Network Opportunities + More Minneapolis, MN: November 1-3, 2021 Request A Meeting With Us! Events

Meet Us »
Subsea World Virtual Event

Subsea World July

Americas session: Americas Spotlight Panel Exploring diverse new routes and interlinking landing points 17:00-18:00 GMT This session opens with a series of brief cable update

Meet Us »
CDS

Content Delivery Summit

Content Delivery Summet 2021 Now in its 14th year, the Content Delivery Summit is the longest-running conference focusing on the confluence of the technology and

Meet Us »

NANOG 85 Read More »

LEGACY INFRASTRUCTURE BYPASS

Legacy Infrastructure Bypass

New Federal Grants Aim to Bolster Telecom’s ‘Middle Mile’

July 22, 2022

Wall Township, NJ – While most people associate take for granted how much the Internet has become embedded in modern life, the team at NJFX realizes the importance of the need for an updated telecommunications infrastructure and the vulnerabilities of legacy networks. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) has launched a new grant program to encourage the development to improve the resiliency of broadband networks and improve access.

Working from home, streaming videos/gaming, and just about any aspect of commerce touches upon the Internet. The Internet of Things adds additional points of contact to telecommunications networks beyond computers, phones, and tablets. COVID-19 has considerably changed our lives and made the Internet a bigger part of them. We are shaping the Internet without being fully aware of the crucial infrastructure that impacts today and beyond.

Crises Drove Evolution of Data Centers

COVID-19 has helped accelerate a push to cloud computing and has revealed the need to improve the “middle mile” – the points of national and regional telecommunications networks that link-local networks. The global pandemic sent “information economy workers” home in 2020, changing how businesses will manage employees virtually. COVID-19 changed our understanding of working remotely along with an increasing expansion of the Internet while IoT still maturing. Legacy infrastructure, in lower Manhattan, is now supporting critical Internet traffic between ISPs in favor of cable companies and our U.S. wireless network operators. These legacy facilities are owned by real estate landlords who are unaware of how critical their role is in our society.

COVID-19, however, was not the only one to drive changes in telecommunications.

Back in the late 90’s, as the Internet was starting to become a force in commerce, most data centers were housed in brick-and-mortar office spaces with equipment fully accessible to anyone working on-site.  After the 9/11 attacks, the telecommunication industry realized data centers cannot be sitting in office buildings without security measures. New York City and the data flowing through it could not be the single point of failure for the business community. This began the journey of distribution and storage for shared data center space applications for computing. Equinix and a few other industry veterans started to create shared data centers that helped economically and diversified creating an environment with remote telecommunications infrastructure separated from employment buildings. The era of shared data centers shaped our country’s future of how we use the internet for the next ten years.

Even those changes could not overcome mother nature. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast affecting thousands of businesses and residents, cutting off electricity throughout the Northeast for days, leaving Lower Manhattan submerged during the height of the storm. The storm, which has been described as a once-in-a-700-year event, proved how dependent our global economy is on the critical infrastructure that is placed in lower Manhattan and Northern Jersey. The tragic events, since 2000, created a realization to diversify away from legacy points with subsea cables connecting Europe and the Americas.

A few years later, we started NJFX in Wall, N.J. NJFX serves over thirty carriers interconnecting Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean through the four subsea cables that are on campus. Today, Virginia Beach Cable Landing Station is working to expand the carrier community over subsea cables.  Technology companies, such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon, are also developing new subsea projects. Other landing sites and newer, higher capacity undersea fiber is helping to link global telecommunications networks, while building some resiliency to that “middle mile.”

Federal Grants to Bolster Middle Mile Infrastructure

The United States Government is aware of critical legacy infrastructure and needs diversification to build additional redundancy in the “middle mile.” Both ends of the middle mile are how users get to their applications through WAN services, private line networks, and cloud networks to shuttle information between destinations. The Middle Mile is becoming a critical part of how we connect with our remote workers, essential employees, and our families through various applications, data, and basic everyday functions that the internet provides.

The NTIA, which oversees the grants under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is offering grants to technology companies and electric and telecommunications utilities. The grant program prioritizes projects that leverage existing infrastructure, enable connection of unserved communities, encourage the development of carrier-neutral interconnection facilities, and improve redundancy/resilience while reducing regulatory and permitting barriers.

“It is likely that NTIA’s final rules will permit funds awarded under this program to be used for a host of projects, including laying fiber to expand and extend existing networks, leasing dark fiber, connecting data centers, building wireless microwave backhaul infrastructure, and other similar projects,” the administration said.

To learn more about the Middle Mile Grant, click 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.

More In the News

LEGACY INFRASTRUCTURE BYPASS Read More »

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