The Government of Puerto Rico has initiated the bidding process for the construction of a new submarine fiber optic cable.

The new submarine cable system is part of Puerto Rico's Resilience Program, aimed at diversifying and strengthening the island's connectivity and improving the resilience of its telecommunications infrastructure to natural disasters. In addition to increasing data transmission capacity, it will reduce dependence on single links and improve the redundancy of the digital backbone, a critical element for data centers, cloud services, and AI applications.

The cable is estimated to be approximately 600 kilometers long, with landing points in San Juan, Ponce, Mayagüez (Puerto Rico), and St. Croix (US Virgin Islands).

Designed to provide high-capacity data transmission, the new cable will have several fiber optic pairs that will allow sufficient aggregate bandwidth to meet the growing demand for traffic between Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and other Caribbean islands. The system architecture includes redundancy protections, with alternatives that will minimize the risk of interruptions due to physical failures or extreme weather events, guaranteeing continuity of service.

At the moment, the government is looking for suppliers that can install the submarine cable and that comply with technical and environmental standards. The tender defines the requirements for engineering, construction, and commissioning of the infrastructure.

In this way, Puerto Rico is following in the footsteps of other Caribbean and Latin American regions in investing in strategic submarine cables to guarantee the stability of the digital infrastructure, support the data center industry, and strengthen the competitiveness of the local technological ecosystem.