PCCS submarine system consortium announced

Cable & Wireless Communications, Setar, Telconet, Telefonica Global Solutions, and United Telecommunication Services (UTS) have created a consortium to build the Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS). The undersea cable system will run 6000 km between Jacksonville, FL, and Manta, Ecuador.

The PCCS is designed to improve access to high-speed broadband and pay-TV services in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Between the two end points, the submarine fiber-optic cable system will serve landing stations in the islands of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Curacao, as well as Cartagena in Colombia and Maria Chiquita and Balboa in Panama.

Alcatel-Lucent has been chosen to deploy the undersea cable system, which will support 100-Gbps transmission. Work is slated to start before the end of the year, with commercial launch expected in the third quarter of 2014.

“The PCCS cable will add to the extensive subsea cable assets we have in the key corridor between North and South America and help us to meet the demand for good value, high-quality international connectivity from telecom and pay TV companies in the Caribbean, Central and South America,” Felix Camargo, COO of CWC Wholesale Solutions, said. “PCCS will also help us to support increased broadband penetration and usage in the pan-American markets in which we operate.”

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