MAY 24, 2010 -- Cable & Wireless Communications plans to build a new major submarine cable in the Caribbean, more than doubling its carrier capacity in the region.
The “East-West” cable will link Jamaica and the Cayman Islands in the west of the Caribbean, to the British Virgin Islands (Tortola) in the east. It will also land in the Dominican Republic, one of the key markets in the region.
Cable & Wireless Communications’ Caribbean business, LIME, has begun installing the cable and is expected to have it operational by early 2011. The East-West Cable is the third new submarine cable built by Cable & Wireless Communications 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 cable will enable Cable & Wireless Communications and its Caribbean business, 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. The cable will also substantially strengthen Cable & Wireless Communications’ capability in serving its carrier customers in North and Latin America, as well as within the Caribbean.
Cable & Wireless Communications’ cable system already links with 23 Caribbean countries; the East-West cable will complete a Caribbean network ring, improving resilience and access for carrier customers.