Alcatel, Columbus Communications inaugurate Jamaica's FibraLink submarine network
April 6, 2006 Paris, France -- This week in Kingston, Jamaica, Alcatel and Columbus Communications jointly inaugurated the FibraLink network, a submarine optical cable system that provides festoon and terrestrial connectivity from Kingston to Ocho Rios and Montego Bay in Jamaica. The system also connects to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, where it links with the ARCOS [Americas Region Caribbean optical ring system] undersea network to provide connectivity to the United States.
The FibraLink project falls under the Jamaican comprehensive telecommunications deregulation initiative and builds on the license that FibraLink Jamaica Ltd. was granted by the government of Jamaica in December 2004. Designed with a capacity of 320 Gbit/sec per fiber pair, FibraLink says the network allows Jamaican telecommunications providers to cope with end-users' needs for enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic in a more cost-effective manner.
The Alcatel platform deployed for the network is based on the company's 1620 LM DWDM submarine line terminal. Branching units were added along the cable route to ensure more points of connection to the system. The connection of the network's landing stations was realized through the Alcatel 1677 SL and 1626 LM equipment for terrestrial applications. The Alcatel 1350 management suite manages all the systems supplied.
"This inauguration further confirms Alcatel's commitment to build data highways that links continents, but also many smaller islands," comments Jean Godeluck, president of Alcatel's submarine network activity.
High-speed bandwidth services on the FibraLink network will be offered to business and residential end-users via the broadband network of Flow, a member of the Columbus Communications group of companies. The business offerings include Ethernet applications for connecting multiple sites and high-speed Internet access for addressing small to large enterprises' requirements. Residential services include voice and video services.
"We are committed to continuing the development of the communication infrastructure in Jamaica and throughout the region, and to providing reliable broadband bandwidth services at cost-effective prices," remarks Brendan Paddick, CEO of Columbus Communications. "FibraLink's inauguration and its connection to ARCOS provide international connectivity to a very large population base in Central America and the Caribbean, where broadband adoption rates are growing rapidly."