Masterclasses

Announcing the Masterclasses

 

SubOptic 2023’s six masterclasses are each outlined below, and as can be seen from the list of presenters, SubOptic has indeed lined up a set of ‘masters’ to lead each class.

 

Masterclass 1: Seismology with Submarine Cables

This masterclass will provide an introduction on sensing technology for complementary usage of global submarine communication assets for earthquake and tsunami detection to enable positive societal impact.

Presented by:

  • Mattia Cantono, Google
  • Zhongwen Zhan, Caltech
  • Giuseppe Marra, UK National Physical Laboratory

 

Masterclass 2: From Telegraphs to Petabits: A Brief History of Submarine Cables

This masterclass will provide an overview of submarine cable system technology through three generations; telegraph, coaxial and optical systems, looking at the technology evolution over time, cable ships, cable installation methods and other engineering aspects as well as the investment models in place at the time.

Presented by:

  • Philip Pilgrim, Nokia
  • Eduardo Mateo, NEC
  • Gary Waterworth, Meta

 

Masterclass 3: Open Cables and Network Evolution

This masterclass is an update from two SubOptic Working Groups - Open Cables and Open Cable Management. New ideas and recommendations for capacity estimation, spectrum sharing and Commissioning & Acceptance programs, alongside common Open interfaces for wet plant management will be shared and explained.

Presented by:

  •  Massimiliano Salsi, Google
  • Elizabeth Rivera Hartling, Meta
  • Darwin Evans, Ciena

 

Masterclass 4: The Theory and Practice of Marine Route Surveys

This masterclass will introduce the audience to the theory and practice of marine route surveys, and the vital role they play in the installation and long-term reliability of submarine cables.

Presented by:

  • Graham Evans, EGS
  • René d’Avezac de Moran, Fugro
  • Stuart Wilson, OceanIQ (GMSL)
  • Dr. Martin Gutowski, Kongsberg

 

Masterclass 5: Legal & regulatory

This masterclass will discuss Legal and Regulatory developments including:

  • Law of the sea developments with respect to deep sea mining and the BBNJ Treaty
  • Sale and leaseback of submarine cable assets
  • Submarine cables as critical infrastructure – is new regulation assisting deployment?

Presented by:

  • Stuart Blythe, Baker Botts
  • Mike Conradi, DLA Piper
  • Kent Bressie, HWG LLP
  • Nigel Irvine, Vodafone

 

Masterclass 6: Subsea Network Resilience

This masterclass will address submarine cable network design for availability and diversity. It will cover design & build, operations & maintenance, permits, regulatory and stakeholder coordination and will include a case study on the Tonga volcanic eruption that resulted in loss of all connectivity to this South Pacific nation.

Presented by:

  • Ryan Wopschall, ICPC
  • Niall Toh, Microsoft
  • Jamie Gaudette, Microsoft
  • Andy Palmer-Felgate, Meta
  • Michael Clare, National Oceanography Centre