By Guy Arnos, Program Manager
Over the last 35 years, I’ve watched the international subsea market and technology develop in ways that we only dreamed of at the advent of fiber optic telecommunications. We now live in a time where digital connectivity is crucial to economic growth and social development, and submarine cables serve as the backbone of global internet infrastructure. The capacity of those cables has grown from single-digit gigabits per second to hundreds of terabits per second. Over 98% of global internet traffic is transmitted through a sprawling network of over four hundred submarine cable systems, collectively stretching 1.2 million kilometers across the ocean floor. This critical infrastructure is essential to supporting the relentless growth of digital data, especially in regions like Latin America and the Caribbean, where bandwidth demand is skyrocketing to the tune of a 30% growth rate annually. This surge has been driven by the increasing penetration of streaming services, mobile internet usage, cloud data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and the advent of 5G technology; all of which is driven by our daily dependence on having the internet immediately accessible to our phones and other mobile devices. Having worked in this region for several decades, I am staggered to see the effect these new technologies is having on capacity requirements across the Americas. Yet, the region faces significant challenges in meeting these demands due to outdated infrastructure, limited competition, monopoly pricing, and a heavy reliance on connecting to the United States for internet access. Amidst these challenges, the launch of TAM-1 submarine cable system by Trans Americas Fiber System represents a pivotal development. TAM-1 has been designed to enhance digital connectivity and support the burgeoning data transmission needs of the region. Scheduled for completion in late 2025, our 7,000-kilometer cable system promises to transform the digital landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean, addressing both current and future demands. In this article, I’ll explain the rationale behind the system’s design and delve into our current build status and future plans.
OWNERSHIP AND INVESTMENT DYNAMICS
The ownership and investment landscape of submarine cable systems is undergoing a significant transformation. As we know, historically, the majority of these systems were consortium-owned, with a few privately built systems, but in recent times there has been a growing trend of investment from global technology giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. These companies are driving demand for high-capacity infrastructure to support their extensive digital services, and several of them are happy to go it alone on new international system builds. This shift in ownership profile is crucial for addressing the mounting bandwidth requirements spurred by the evolving consumer and industry trends mentioned above. Despite the soaring bandwidth requirements, the trans-Americas region confronts formidable challenges in internet access and connectivity. Issues such as limited competition, monopoly pricing, reliance on outdated submarine systems, and the imperative for the Caribbean and South American nations to connect to the US for internet access pose significant obstacles.
Furthermore, existing regional cables are approaching the end of their operational lives, lacking the necessary accessibility, capacity, and scalability to meet rapidly escalating future demands. It is clear, that new build activity is required to break the monopolistic status quo created by mergers in the region, to foster competition, and to incentivize cost-based pricing for essential internet services. Once the pricing challenges and bandwidth limitations of the existing infrastructure are addressed with new systems, we can expect the market to grow. Several systems have been announced over the past few years, all designed to replace the aging infrastructure and add diversity to the region, but not many have realistically progressed. The TAM-1 network is fully funded and moving ahead on schedule with its impressive specifications and high connectivity design.
TRANS AMERICAS-1 FORGES FORWARDS
The TAM-1 submarine cable system is made up of two separate segments which we call the North and South Systems. The South System consists of 24 fiber pairs from Vero Beach, Florida to a branching unit (BU) just north and east of the Turks & Caicos Islands. From the BU, 20 fiber pairs are directed towards Panama, Colombia, and Costa Rica, and 8 fiber pairs are directed towards the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the US and British Virgin Islands. Two of the fiber pairs are routed from Panama to the USVI. The North System is made up of a 12 fiber trunk from Hollywood, Florida to Honduras with 8 fiber branches to Mexico and Guatemala. The longest digital line segments (DLS) are capable of delivering a minimum of 18 terabits per second of bandwidth while shorter DLS are capable of even higher line rates. These line rates, combined with fiber counts create a huge amount of capacity not previously available to the region. This capacity is essential for addressing the escalating demand for high-speed internet and data services in the region. As the existing older systems near the end of their operational life, TAM-1’s advanced technology will provide much-needed capacity, accessibility, and scalability. Our product offering consists of dark fibers, spectrum, and lit capacity solutions which will allow customers to dynamically tailor their networks while maintaining their desired level of autonomy. Connections will be low latency and secure, thanks to a high-reliability system design. The geographical reach of TAM-1 is extensive, connecting the United States (Florida) to various countries across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. The planned landing points include Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and future connectivity to the Netherlands Antilles and other locations. This future connectivity is facilitated by strategically placed BUs which will allow network extensions without service interruptions to the main trunks. This strategic coverage ensures that key regions are interconnected, fostering economic growth and offering route diversity to enhance network resilience. By providing a cross-Caribbean route, the system addresses the connectivity challenges faced by national Caribbean carriers and governments. It introduces a diverse and redundant path for north-south traffic, which is crucial for maintaining reliable internet services. Additionally, by reducing reliance on legacy systems and introducing state-of-the-art technology from system supplier Xtera, TAM-1 is set to revolutionize the region’s digital infrastructure. Our technology includes fiber switching in the branching units as well as a band-switched OADM capability.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF NEW SYSTEMS IN THE REGION
The socio-economic impact of improved digital infrastructure across the Americas cannot be overstated. Enhanced connectivity can drive economic competitiveness, attract private investments, and support the development of a digital economy. By bridging the digital divide, we hope to enable greater access to information, products, and services, thus fostering growth across various sectors. This is particularly significant for the Caribbean and Latin American nations, which have historically struggled with limited internet access and high costs. Importantly, the deployment of TAM-1 aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, emphasizing the importance of affordable internet access. Improved connectivity in the Caribbean and Central American regions can help bridge the development gap with more advanced economies, promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.
CURRENT PROGRESS AND FUTURE EXPANSIONS
Our selection of strategic landing points was a multi-faceted process, aimed at optimizing efficiency, reliability, and strategic positioning. By leveraging existing infrastructure where possible and building new landing stations where necessary, the project ensures seamless connectivity and minimal deployment delays. Significant progress has been made on the TAM-1 project. Marine surveys, essential for planning the cable route, have been completed by EGS and Fugro NV. These surveys covered key locations along the cable route, including future potential BU locations, ensuring a thorough understanding of seabed conditions. Cable route engineering is also complete. Production of wet plant and terminal equipment by Nexans, Xtera and others is well underway, with cable manufacture currently ongoing in Rognan, Norway and amplifier production in the UK. IT International Telecom has been secured to perform the marine installation operations early next year, ensuring that the project remains on track for its 2025 launch. Permitting in all jurisdictions is well underway and on track. Seven of the ten planned landings are in existing cable landing stations and the three stations being built by Trans Americas Fiber System are in the design process and all sites have been procured. Terrestrial backhaul routes are also in the process of being procured. Looking ahead, our network is poised for further expansion. Future phases are planned to extend connectivity to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean. These expansions will amplify the reach and impact of TAM-1, bringing advanced digital infrastructure to previously underserved areas.
A FINAL THOUGHT
We are excited and proud to bring this state-of-the-art system to the region to provide the vastly expanded and geographically diverse digital connectivity to Latin America and the Caribbean that TAM-1 represents. By addressing the region’s escalating bandwidth demands and providing a modern, high-capacity infrastructure, our system is set to bridge the digital divide and help foster economic growth. The project exemplifies the transformative power of robust digital infrastructure, underscoring its importance in the digital age. We continue to progress on target towards our planned Ready for Service (RFS) date in 2025, which stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts of the Trans Americas team and all our partners and regional stakeholders.