scope:

SCOPE AND OUTLINE

The Undersea Cable Infrastructure (UCI) has become a critical component of the global telecommunications infrastructure. No metrics currently exist to assess and track the resiliency, reliability, and growth of the UCI. This Technical Report (TR) provides background information, a set of factors that influence the resiliency, metrics associated with these factors, and a method of visualizing (based on an international standard) the metrics in a single diagram. The visualization methodology could be used by assorted interested parties.

This TR is organized as follows:

• Clause 1 - Scope and Outline

• Clause 2 - Normative References

• Clause 3 - Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviations

• Clause 4 - Introduction to Undersea Cables: a description of the UCI and commonly used configurations, with comments on the advantages of each. Additionally, a description of general risks to the UCI is included.

• Clause 5 - Factors and Considerations: discusses how select portions of the total UCI could be grouped and then describes factors that contribute to the resiliency, reliability, and growth of the portions of the network.

• Clause 6 - Selection of Parameters: describes possible metrics associated with the factors described in Clause 5.

• Clause 7 - One View Methodology: describes and demonstrates a method for viewing the metrics described in Clause 6. Additionally,Clause 7 provides some insight into how the plots might be used by interested parties.