Digicel acquires submarine cable across Caribbean

Digicel will soon own a submarine fibre optic cable having reached agreement with companies in the region.

According to a press release from Digicel, the agreement with the Guadeloupe-based Loret Group and Caribbean Fibre Holdings will see it acquiring Middle Caribbean Network, Southern Caribbean Fibre, Antilles Crossings and a number of related assets from Global Caribbean Fibre.

“This deal will provide Digicel with a wholly owned submarine fibre optic cable network of approximately 2,100km providing capacity from Trinidad to Guadeloupe,” the release said.

Meanwhile, Digicel has also entered into a transaction with Global Caribbean Fibre and Global Caribbean Network to provide submarine fibre capacity from Guadeloupe to Puerto Rico with onwards connectivity to the mainland United States.

The release said that with these new capabilities, Digicel is underpinning its commitments to delivering “best network, best service and best value” and will once again be at the forefront of driving competition and consumer choice in the region.

In total, Digicel has secured access to a robust network comprising 15 submarine segments with a reach of some 3,100 km across the region. Digicel will also have extensive onwards capacity on other submarine networks connecting locations such as Miami, Paris and New York.

The financial terms of the contract are not being disclosed and the transaction is subject to regulatory approval, the release said.

It quoted Digicel Group CEO Colm Delves as saying: “We are always looking for new ways to ensure that we deliver choice and innovation to our valued customers. The acquisition of this submarine network secures significant additional broadband capacity for Digicel. This additional capacity is central to our continued drive to offer innovative services and products to our customers in a data hungry world.”