November 29, 2004 Paris -- Alcatel has signed a turnkey contract valued at 21 million Euros with Global Caribbean Network (GCN), a subsidiary of the Group Loret, to deploy a submarine cable network for the Regional Council of Guadeloupe. The project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005, will significantly expand the Guadeloupe telecommunications network capacity and will be very beneficial to the region's economic development.
"The decision to commit to a submarine optical network was driven by the wish to serve our region's growing communication needs, enhancing the delivery of reliable data and broadband services to our citizens at a reasonable cost," affirmed Victorin Lurel, president of Guadeloupe's Regional Council.
The new submarine cable will span nearly 800 km, connecting Basse-Terre and Point a Pitre in Guadeloupe to San Juan in Puerto Rico. The cable's route, going through St. Martin with an extension to St. Barthlemy, with a total of 120 Gbits/sec of ultimate network capacity, will significantly expand local communications coverage.
"Taking into account the topology of the territory, the new submarine cable network will provide a cost-efficient way to give Guadeloupe multi-services broadband access and connectivity to other countries in the region," stated Ehsan Emami, president at GCN. "Alcatel's integrated submarine and terrestrial approach will deliver great network flexibility to support carrier-class, advanced services."
Alcatel will supply its new-generation DWDM submarine line terminal, as well as its 1626 Light Manager and Optical Multi-Service Node (OMSN) systems for terrestrial applications, all managed by the Alcatel 1350 management suite. Alcatel will also provide a services including marine and terrestrial installation, commissioning, and integration.
Global Caribbean Network (GCN) is a new cable operator in the Caribbean region. GCN has been awarded by the Regional Council of Guadeloupe (FWI) a public services delegation contract to build and operate a new submarine cable linking Gueadeloupe, St. Martin, and St. Barthlemy to the rest of the world. GCN will provide to local and international operators broadband services at very cost effective level.