FEATURE TAM-1 SUBMARINE CABLE SYSTEM: A New Era for Digital Connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean BY GUY ARNOS
O
ver the last 35 years I’ve watched the international subsea market and technology develop in ways that we only dreamed of at the advent of fiber optic telecommunications. We now live in a time where digital connectivity is crucial to economic growth and social development, and submarine cables serve as the backbone of global internet infrastructure. The capacity of those cables has grown from single digit gigabits per second to hundreds of terabits per second. Over 98% of global internet traffic is transmitted through a sprawling network of over four hundred submarine cable systems, collectively stretching 1.2 million kilometers across the ocean floor. This critical infrastructure is essential to supporting the relentless growth of digital data, especially in regions like Latin America and the Caribbean, where bandwidth demand is skyrocketing to the tune of a 30% growth rate annually. This surge has been driven by the increasing penetration of streaming services, mobile internet usage, cloud data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and the advent of 5G technology; all of which is driven by our daily dependence on having the internet immediately accessible to our phones and other mobile devices. Having worked in this region for several decades, I am staggered to see the effect these new technologies is having
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on capacity requirements across the Americas. Yet, the region faces significant challenges in meeting these demands due to outdated infrastructure, limited competition, monopoly pricing, and a heavy reliance on connecting to the United States for internet access. Amidst these challenges, the launch of TAM-1 submarine cable system by Trans Americas Fiber System represents a pivotal development. TAM-1 has been designed to enhance digital connectivity and support the burgeoning data transmission needs of the region. Scheduled for completion in late 2025, our 7,000-kilometer cable system promises to transform the digital landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean, addressing both current and future demands. In this article I’ll explain the rationale behind the system’s design and delve into our current build status and future plans.
OWNERSHIP AND INVESTMENT DYNAMICS
The ownership and investment landscape of submarine cable systems is undergoing a significant transformation. As we know, historically, the majority of these systems were consortium-owned, with a few privately built systems, but in recent times there is a growing trend of investment from global technology giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft. These companies are driving demand for high-capacity