The deployment of a submarine cable system from Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands has been announced.
The initiative, which started in 2018, has been driven by the Corporación Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CNT EP), the public telecommunications company in Ecuador, which performed the feasibility studies that led to investment from subsea cables specialist Galapagos Cable Systems (GCS).
Together with its strategic partner Xtera, a provider of subsea systems and telecoms technology, GCS will spearhead the construction of a state-of-the-art 1,280km submarine cable system between Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
The new network, which will go live in 2022, will boost capacity to the Galapagos Islands initially by over ten times. The full design capacity of the cable system is 20 terabits per second, capable of providing over 2,500 times more than the current bandwidth available in the region.
The system will connect Manta-Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, in St Cristobal; Port Ayora, in Santa Cruz and Port General Villamil in the Isabela Island, enabling the development of scientific research, commerce, tourism and education.
A key benefit of the initiative, says Xtera, is to provide the Galapagos archipelago with high-capacity and high-quality national and international telecommunications services (both fixed and mobile), wideband internet with fibre optics, 4G mobile service and 5G in the future.
Xtera will perform the design and construction works on a turnkey basis utilising its innovative SDM repeater, cable supplied by Prysmian/NSW and marine installation activities performed by International Telecom.