A 1,200-kilometre advanced subsea fibre optic cable system is being planned by FB Submarine Partners, Xtera, IT International Telecom and GigNet. It will connect Florida in the US and Cancun in Mexico.
FB Submarine Partners LLC, a privately owned developer of international telecommunications projects, says that the GigNet-1 subsea cable system has been in development for the past two years and is expected to be completed in 2022.
The company believes this will be the first new subsea cable from Florida to the Yucatan Peninsula in over 20 years specifically designed to meet the rapidly growing demand for secure, high-speed bandwidth for internet, video streaming, social media and cloud services.
Development to date has included completion of the desktop route survey, regulatory and feasibility studies, market demand and analysis studies, and selection and contracting of key suppliers for the system design, equipment and installation. A marine route survey will begin in March.
The company has selected Xtera, an industry leader in subsea network deployments, to serve as the primary EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor for the project. IT International Telecom, a leading name in subsea cable systems, has already provided the desktop route survey and will provide the marine route survey. In cooperation with Xtera, IT International Telecom will install the GigNet-1 cable system.
In Mexico, FB Submarine Partners will partner with international digital infrastructure company GigNet Inc and its wholly-owned operating subsidiary GigNet SA de CV for access to the beach in Cancun and colocation in GigNet’s Cancun cable landing station.
GigNet, which operates an advanced fibre optic network in the Riviera Maya region serving the hospitality, enterprise and planned development segments, will serve as a major tenant on the subsea cable system, and will provide IP transit and private line connectivity with GigNet-1 throughout the region.
Demand in the area is likely to be strongly linked to the fact that the Mexican Caribbean, encompassing Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, is one of the largest and most popular international tourism destinations in the world. The area has over 20 million visitors each year.