December 03, 2024 – Members of the CELIA consortium introduce CELIA, a new high-capacity “express” cable in the Caribbean region connecting Aruba, Martinique, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and Boca Raton in Florida (U.S.).
The new cable using the latest submarine fiber optic technologies, known as CELIA, Caribbean ELIte Alliance, will span over 3700 km and link key points in the Caribbean and North America, featuring a minimum of 8 fiber pairs, offering a minimum of 22 Terabits per second per fiber pair, and providing an initial estimated capacity of more than 170 Tbps. CELIA is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2027.
The members of the CELIA consortium are SETAR as the landing partner in Aruba, Orange as the landing partner in Martinique, Telxius as the landing partner in Puerto Rico and Boca Raton, U.S., while also offering 24/7 monitoring and security from its Network Operations Centers (NOC), and APUA as the landing partner in Antigua.
Alcatel Submarine Networks has been selected as the end-to-end supplier for the submarine cable infrastructure, connecting CELIA between the landing partners. The contract is already in force including options to increase capacity and to add new landing points.
CELIA will enhance connectivity in the Caribbean region, providing high-capacity and secure data transfer and very high Internet speeds with low latency to support the region’s increasing digital demand along this strategic route offering high quality of service.
Furthermore, investments such as CELIA ensure that the islands are connected to the worldwide data networks. Being globally connected creates opportunities for sustainable economic growth, bridging the digital divide and improving network resilience.
The CELIA project incorporates high standards for environmental protection and biodiversity preservation in both terrestrial and marine neutral habitats at every stage of the project. The route selection and various infrastructures have been carefully studied to bypass the most sensitive areas and to apply the least invasive technologies. The consortium will work closely with NGOs and local authorities to ensure the preservation of ecosystems and the prosperity of local communities.
“For an island like Aruba, it’s crucial to be connected to international data networks to attract private investments, stimulate local businesses, education, essential services, the hospitality sector and for our integration into the global economy.” – Roland Croes, CEO SETAR N.V.
“The CELIA project represents a significant advancement in connectivity and will improve the network resilience for the Caribbean region. By using cutting- edge fiber optic technologies, we are able to provide very high Internet speeds and secure data transfer capabilities while adhering to strict environmental standards. This project will highly contribute to local sustainable economic growth and connections to other territories are being studied. And we are proud that our subsidiary Orange Marine will be in charge of the marine deployment of the cable, ” said Samir Benzahra, director Orange Antilles Guyane.
“CELIA is another major step forward in the expansion of Telxius’ global network, increasing capacity and adding to our densely redundant routes across the Americas,” said Mario Martin, CEO at Telxius. “We’re committed to delivering the lowest latency and highest connectivity performance for our business customers in the Caribbean and enhancing experiences for end users globally.”
“This project is a giant step forward in the process of re-creation of Antigua and Barbuda digital environment. It depicts the continuous commitment of APUA in providing the best connectivity solutions which will be vital in the growth of the country’s economy, support businesses, transform communities and place Antigua and Barbuda as a pioneer in digital transformation within the OECS.” – John Bradshaw, General Manager APUA.
Paul Gabla, ASN VP Marketing & sales reflects on CELIA’s contribution to Caribbean connectivity: “We would like to thank the CELIA consortium for putting their trust in ASN to deliver the latest generation in high capacity subsea connectivity within the Caribbean to Florida, building upon our extensive experience in the region to deliver an architecture that creates reliable and secure platform for sustained growth in a region subject to hurricanes and other natural challenges.”
About SETAR
As the leader in Technology, Media and Telecommunications on Aruba, SETAR prides itself for continuously bringing the newest technologies and innovative products, services and apps for the Aruban community. We are an all-service provider offering service solutions to fit every need. We deliver advanced mobile, Cable TV, high-speed Internet services and fixed telephony for our residential and business customers. We believe in constant innovation in the technology of telecommunications for further development of our company and our island. In today’s world, connection at all times is essential. Therefore, we are proud to be able to connect everything and everyone seamlessly together.
About Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with revenues of 39.7 billion euros in 2023 and 128,000 employees worldwide at 30 September 2024, including 71,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 292 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2024, including 253 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. These figures have been restated to account for the deconsolidation of certain activities in Spain following the creation of MASORANGE. The Group is present in 26 countries (including non-consolidated countries).
Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business. In February 2023, the Group presented its strategic plan “Lead the Future”, built on a new business model and guided by responsibility and efficiency. “Lead the Future” capitalizes on network excellence to reinforce Orange’s leadership in service quality. Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com and the Orange
News app or to follow us on X: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
Press contact: Ibtissame Nafii ; ibtissame.nafii@orange.com
About Telxius
As the world’s needs for uninterrupted global interconnectivity continue to rise, we are preparing the road ahead. Telxius is a leading global connectivity provider that combines subsea and terrestrial networks with data centers worldwide. Its extensive ecosystem includes eight next-generation fiber optic submarine cables and terrestrial backhauls together spanning 100,000+ km, almost 100 PoPs in 17 countries, plus 27 data centers. Telxius provides a wide range of capacity, colocation and security services, as well as direct internet connectivity through its Tier-1 IP network.
About APUA
APUA was formed on the 4th of July in 1973 under the Public Utility Act and remains a central part of essential services in Antigua and Barbuda. APUA is a complex organization that in addition to offering electricity, telecommunication and water services to meet the nation’s needs. With a strong commitment to quality, APUA ensures that these services are provided on time, at an affordable cost and in compliance with international standards of quality to the benefit of the community’s sustainable development.
About Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN)
Alcatel Submarine Networks, part of Nokia, leads the industry in terms of transmission capacity and installed base with more than 800,000 km of optical submarine systems deployed worldwide, enough to go almost 20 times around the world.
From traditional telecom applications to content and “over the top” service provider infrastructures, as well as to offshore oil and gas applications, ASN provides all elements of turnkey global undersea transmission systems, tailored to individual customer’s needs. An extensive services portfolio completes its comprehensive offering for the submarine business, including project management, installation, and commissioning, along with marine and maintenance operations performed by ASN’s wholly owned fleet of cable ships. For more information, visit our website: www.asn.com
Alcatel Submarine Networks media contact: communications@asn.com
PR Archives: Latest, By Company, By Date