Above: Signing agreements for the CELIA project
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,” said Samir Benzahra, director Orange Antilles Guyane.
“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, ”
“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.”
