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22 MTR April 2006 seabed. "Even at 10 meters burial the cable is still vulner- able to anchors from very large ships."

In addition to installation, Tyco Telecommunications has a vibrant repair business. "We provide maintenance services to cables all over the world. If a cable is damaged, the cable repair ship is underway within 24 hours."

In depths to 2,000 ft., the company will often deploy a

Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to identify the prob- lem, cut the cable and attach a recovery line so that the cable can be brought to the surface for repair. In deeper waters, the ship deploys a grapnel to secure the cable and bring it to the surface for testing. While this technology is decidedly lower tech, it's rather effective given that the ship, using the latest in GPS and DGPS technology, knows where to find the cable.

In fact, Cuccio considers the advent of dynamic posi- tioning to be arguably the technology that has most dra- matically enhanced his ship's ability to operate efficiently. "Dynamic Positioning, coupled with the very high accu- racy of DGPS, enables us to plot a very specific route, to put the ship on station and to keep it on station in almost all weather conditions," Cuccio said. The company can repairs in up to Sea State 7, and can install in up to Sea

State 8 or 9. (See table on page 24 for reference). "DP enables us to make quick, efficient repairs, as once we have the cable onboard for splicing, it helps ensure that we're not dragging these cables all over the seabed."

Business in Change

Cuccio began his career in the business of subsea cable laying nearly two decades ago, starting with AT&T

Submarine Systems in 1988 when fiber optic cabling was still in its infancy. Thus he has a broad perspective of the changing nature of the business, watching demand soar through the 1990s, powered by the dot.com explosion that saw Tyco Telecommunications employ more than 3,000 around the world. When the dot.com bubble burst, so too did the corresponding bubbles in many related

The Cable Guy: Frank Cuccio, Vice President Marine Services for Tyco Telecommunications.

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