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AquaComms Announces Microsoft as First Foundation Customer on AEConnect

DUBLIN, IRELAND and REDMOND, WA — (Marketwired) — 05/11/15 — , a provider of scalable, subsea capacity-based network solutions, today announces Microsoft Corporation as the first foundation customer on the America Europe Connect () subsea cable system being built by .

AEConnect will provide Microsoft with a high volume capacity infrastructure to support Microsoft–s cloud services, continued investment in Ireland and future growth throughout Europe.

“AEConnect–s state-of-the-art technology, 100 Gbps coherent design and direct data centre-to-data centre connectivity and optionality make it the optimal solution platform to drive the global expansion strategies and capacity requirements of data-driven organisations like Microsoft,” says Greg Varisco, COO of AquaComms. “We are delighted to partner with Microsoft on this groundbreaking cable system and look forward to working with Microsoft on future builds.”

“Out of approximately 230 subsea cables across the globe, very few are currently equipped to fully support coherent technology with 100 Gbps capabilities. With bandwidth-hungry applications on the rise, we want to ensure our customers are getting the capacity across the Atlantic that they need,” says Dave Crowley, Managing Director of Microsoft–s Global Network Procurement. “AEConnect aids in future-proofing our transatlantic capacity requirements, connecting directly to our operations in Ireland and onward into Europe to support our expanding data network capacity needs.”

Utilising the latest optical technology of 130 wavelengths x 100 Gbps per fibre pair coupled with a control plane based on innovative Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, AEConnect will provide Microsoft with scalable connectivity to address growing bandwidth demands for applications, content and data exchange. AEConnect will also provide Microsoft with a platform for Microsoft–s network expansion into Europe with multiple Points of Presence (PoPs) to keep its enterprise cloud services, including Microsoft Azure, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Intune, live and operating at peak capacity and performance.

Aqua Comms Limited (AquaComms) is the owner and operator of the transatlantic cable AEConnect and the Irish Sea cable CeltixConnect, and was established to build, acquire or merge with subsea fiber optic cable networks to provide capacity networking solutions to the global media, content providers and IT companies. To learn more about Aqua Comms and its new transatlantic subsea cable system, AEConnect, visit .

America Europe Limited recently brought its into force (CIF) with , a TE Connectivity Ltd. company and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, which has begun manufacturing on AEConnect with a scheduled service delivery date of December 2015. AEConnect will be the latest transatlantic subsea fiber optic cable system to connect North America to Europe with unprecedented capacity and reliability. AEConnect will land in Shirley, NY and Killala on the West Coast of Ireland, spanning more than 5,400 km with stubbed branching units for future landings, and will use CeltixConnect, an existing Irish Sea subsea cable wholly owned by AquaComms, to provide extended connectivity to London and greater Europe.

Statements in this release that are “forward-looking statements” are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as:

intense competition in all of Microsoft–s markets;

increasing focus on services presents execution and competitive risks;

significant investments in new products and services that may not be profitable;

acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances may have an adverse effect on our business;

impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a significant charge to earnings;

Microsoft–s continued ability to protect and earn revenues from its intellectual property rights;

claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights of others;

the possibility of unauthorized disclosure of significant portions of Microsoft–s source code;

cyber-attacks and security vulnerabilities in Microsoft products and services that could reduce revenue or lead to liability;

disclosure of personal data that could cause liability and harm to Microsoft–s reputation;

outages, data losses, and disruptions of our online services if we fail to maintain an adequate operations infrastructure;

government litigation and regulation that may limit how Microsoft designs and markets its products;

potential liability under trade protection and anti-corruption laws resulting from our international operations;

Microsoft–s ability to attract and retain talented employees;

adverse results in legal disputes;

unanticipated tax liabilities;

Microsoft–s hardware and software products may experience quality or supply problems;

exposure to increased economic and operational uncertainties from operating a global business;

catastrophic events or geo-political conditions may disrupt our business; and

adverse economic or market conditions may harm our business.

For more information about risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft–s business, please refer to the “Management–s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Microsoft–s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft–s Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft–s Investor Relations website at .

All information in this release is as of May 11, 2015. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company–s expectations.