NEWPORT BEACH : Fiber-Optic Cable Strung Under Bay

Residents of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine and Santa Ana can expect more reliable telephone service as a result of a new fiber-optic cable installed Monday beneath the entrance to Newport Bay.

“The fiber-optic upgrade is a big step forward for the people and the businesses in these communities,” outside plant engineer John Katenstein said. “It provides an important alternative route for traffic in the event of a cable cut or some other crisis that might interrupt service.”

John Britton, spokesman for Pacific Bell, said the underwater line extends about a third of a mile from the Balboa Peninsula inland to about Bayview Way, linking the company’s Corona del Mar and Balboa offices.

That will expand the carrying capacity of lines in Corona del Mar and Balboa Peninsula to keep up with demand and eliminate the need to route calls to an “all lines in service” announcement if a cable is cut, Britton said.

“Cable cuts don’t happen too often, but people have come to expect 100% reliability,” he said.

The full link is 10 miles of cable, one-third of a mile of which is armored to protect it from water, salt and other corrosives. It was installed over the shortest route from the Peninsula inland, instead of along bridges, the way such cables are normally installed, he said.