Photos: Daniella Pérez. ACN.
Havana, Dec 8 (RHC) The technical work to install the Arimao submarine fiber optic cable will begin this Friday, as part of the agreement signed between the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) and the French company Orange, according to what was revealed today during the inaugural ceremony of the process.
Deputy Prime Minister Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella said that the deployment of Arimao from the province of Cienfuegos to the Caribbean Island of Martinique will allow the expansion and diversification of international capacities given the growing demand for Internet connection services.
He commented that the project reflects the will of the Cuban government towards digital transformation, and will be combined with the only submarine connectivity route that the largest of the Antilles has, the ALBA-1 cable, the fruit of the brotherhood with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
According to Perdomo Di-Lella, the project proves the intention to continue alliances with prestigious international companies such as Orange, even with the obstacles imposed by the blockade imposed by the United States, whose government has repeatedly forbidden Cuba to obtain permits for the installation of a telecommunications cable connecting the two countries.
Photos: Daniella Pérez. ACN.
At the inaugural ceremony of Arimao in the Tricontinental Port of the central province, Tania Velázquez Rodríguez, president of ETECSA, told those present that the launching of the project is a dream come true and thanked the spirit of cooperation of the French multinational.
For Velázquez Rodríguez, the deployment of Arimao is a new milestone in the history of the sector in the Antillean nation, and provides a strong and effective solution to expand the communication capabilities and the interaction of Cubans with the world, as far as Cuba's economic conditions allow it.
Jean Luc Vuillemin, president of Orange International Networks, said the cable has a length of two thousand 500 kilometers (km) and once loaded on the laying vessel will begin its installation from Cienfuegos to Martinique, points that will be joined in several weeks.
The investment includes the construction of a station that will house the system's technical services, in line with world trends.
Photos: Daniella Pérez. ACN.
Mayra Arevich Marín, Cuban Minister of Communications, pointed out that the submarine cable system contributes to the fulfillment of the National Economic and Social Plan until 2030 and will offer more and better connectivity to Cubans.
Its installation will take into account the protection of the marine ecosystem to avoid affecting areas with large concentrations of plants, as well as the nesting periods of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea).
Fiber optic cables laid on the ocean floor are capable of transmitting large amounts of data quickly from one point to another. According to the TeleGeography web portal, there are more than 480 cables in the world, covering about 1.3 million km.
