Caribbean network ring completed
with investment of US$35m
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands
-
LIME
today announced the historic completion of the installation of the new
East-West undersea cable system linking Jamaica, the British Virgin Islands and
the Dominican Republic – a further telecommunications advancement for the
region.
The East-West cable links Jamaica in the west of the
Caribbean to the British Virgin Islands (Tortola) in the East, completing the
connection in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.
It will triple available bandwidth and
reduce interconnection costs in the Dominican Republic – a key market in the
region.
Completed in under six months and a week ahead of
schedule, the US$35m cable system completes a Caribbean “network ring” that
further strengthens LIME’s position as the leading wholesale capacity provider
and increases its capability to serve its carrier customers in North and Latin
America, as well as within the Caribbean.
The new cable is the third new submarine cable built by
LIME in the region since 2008, adding to the CBUS cable between Bermuda and the
British Virgin Islands and the Gemini-Bermuda cable between Bermuda and the
east coast of the US.
The undersea cable enables LIME to meet the rising demand
for high-speed bandwidth from consumers and business customers in the
region.
LIME operates in 13
Caribbean countries, and is developing a range of new fixed broadband and
mobile data services for customers, which will require high quality capacity
support.
“LIME’s network is well positioned to benefit from growth
in wholesale markets.
The
Caribbean is a major traffic corridor between South America and the major
Internet, content and carrier hubs in the United States – acknowledged as one
of the fastest growing inter-continental routes in the world today,” said David
Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, LIME.
In hailing the project as a text book undertaking, Shaw
said, “The East-West Cable is a valuable addition to our carrier network,
increasing the capability and service LIME provides to our carrier customers
throughout the Americas and the Caribbean.”
Commenting, Martin Fijman, Managing Director – Carrier
Services, said: “Our investment in the East-West Cable attests to the growing
demand for capacity in the region.
The cable will provide leading-edge broadband capacity and reliable
network services to help fulfill that market demand.
LIME will keep enhancing its wholesale proposition as we
keep leading the provision of capacity, connectivity and carrier services
within the region”.
