Tyco Submarine Systems Ltd. (TSSL--Morristown, NJ) signed a contract to supply the undersea fiber-optic cable for MAYA-1, a 4700-km undersea fiber system connecting the United States, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. Scheduled for service by March 2000, the MAYA-1 cable system, the first to link South America, Central America, North America, and the Caribbean basin, will be owned and operated by 41 telecommunications carriers in the region. Under the $150-million contract, TSSL will supply the undersea cable for the project, while Alcatel Submarine Networks (Paris) will supply the remainder of the system equipment.