By Chris Patterson
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – The government of Jamaica has signed a letter of intent with Trans Americas Fiber System for the Subsea Cable Project, to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure.
The document was signed February 3, by permanent secretary in the ministry of energy, transport and telecommunications, Kedesha Campbell Rochester, and chief executive officer, Trans Americas Fiber System, Julio Bran, during a ceremony at Jamaica House.
It was witnessed by minister of energy, transport and telecommunications, Daryl Vaz and chief operating officer, Trans Americas Fiber System, Jose Luis Rivera.
Addressing the signing ceremony, prime minister, Dr Andrew Holness said the initiative forms a significant and deliberate step in transforming the digital architecture of the country.
“This is not simply another infrastructure project. It is a strategic intervention in preparing our people to succeed in a modern, technologically driven world. Today, we are making an investment not only in cables beneath the sea, but in opportunities above ground,” he said. “We are laying the foundations for higher economic growth, stronger competitiveness, broader access to education and employment, and greater national resilience. This is what progress looks like when a country thinks not just about today but about the possibilities of tomorrow.”
Dr Holness pointed out that the recent passage of the catastrophic hurricane Melissa has reinforced the importance of resilient infrastructure, noting that the hurricane caused damage to infrastructure, dislocation of communities, and placed pressure on public service.
“We are using this moment as an opportunity to make strategic investments that will ignite economic growth and strengthen our national foundations. Whether in road networks, water, electricity, schools, hospitals, critical public services, and our digital infrastructure. Disruption, when met with foresight and discipline, can become a catalyst for transformation, and Jamaica is choosing to build forward, turning recovery into renewal, and resilience into long-term opportunity,” he argued.
Dr Holness said the undertaking places the government in a position to strategically shape the market such that the prices and accessibility for the average citizen can go down.
“This, by every measure, is a good decision to use public funds to support this kind of investment. It is not the intention of the government to operate this, and I think that must be said up front. We want to invite the private sector to come in,” the prime minister urged.
“But what we have done is to de-risk the investment and to ensure that we have put in enough redundancies in the system and diversification of cables, such that there is competition. So that’s the shape of the market, a market that is diversified and competitive, which will result in lower prices for you, the consumers.”
The prime minister noted that, currently, 54 percent of the country’s traffic essentially goes through one subsea cable.
For his part, minister Vaz explained that the TAM-1 network being built by Trans America Fiber System Limited represents a unique opportunity for Jamaica to connect to a new cable system, as it is nearly operational and the branch to Jamaica could be quickly added, saving time and millions of dollars, as the cable passes just 220 kilometres south of Jamaica.
“It is also part of a larger regional network, which stretches 7,000 kilometres from the United States through Panama and Colombia. The initiative envisages a dedicated spur connecting the TAM-1 network to Jamaica with a purpose-built branching unit, delivering a fibre pair with up to 20 terabits per second of bandwidth. The main subsea cable includes redundancy, with a primary link to Florida and a backup link to Panama,” he said.
The minister explained that this setup is beneficial to Jamaica as it means that Jamaica’s connectivity would be maintained if TAM-1’s main route is disrupted, providing security even in moments of crisis.
“The telecommunications sector in Jamaica represents a delicate balance of market-driven competition and government partnership and investment. Therefore, to achieve the outcomes desired by introducing new subsea cable arrangements, the facilities must be carrier-neutral and open to all ISPs (internet service providers), content delivery networks, cloud providers, and government institutions,” Vaz said.
“No one provider could be favoured, and everyone must have fair access. The IFC’s assessment, thus far, on the National Broadband Project has made it clear that reducing international bandwidth costs is critical for the success of the project. This initiative, once finalised, is expected to reduce this cost by up to 99 percent, which translates into more affordable internet and more opportunities for businesses and families,” he continued.
Vaz added that the signing represents the first step in achieving these goals and will enable the necessary preparatory work to be undertaken to make this initiative a success. He further noted that the final agreement is expected to be signed later this year, with construction of the cable anticipated for the fourth quarter of 2026. “We expect the cable will be fully operational by the third quarter of 2027,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bran said the project aims to close the digital divide in Jamaica and the region. He said his company is aware that for many years, internet access has been scarce in the region, prohibitive to obtain and expensive.
“We embarked on this project five years ago. Right now, we are happy to report that we are about 60 percent enroute in terms of installing a 7,000-kilometre cable system across the entire region,” he noted.
“If you look at the route, we cover from the US to the USVI to Puerto Rico to Haiti, Jamaica, and the smaller countries as well in Central America. So, we try to cover the entire Caribbean region and not only the bigger economies,” Bran said.
