Claro Installs Submarine Fiber Optic Cable To San Andrés Island, Upgrading Internet & Data Connectivity

América Movil, operating in Colombia as Claro announced that it has terminated a 727-kilometer extension of its AMX-1 undersea fiber optic cable in the Caribbean Island of San Andrés, enhancing the island’s internet connectivity, and enabling 4G and 4.5G mobile telephony.

The San Andrés cable extension connects with the main submarine trunk in place since 2013 that runs 17,500 kilometers and connects Colombia, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Florida, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, México and Brazil. In Colombia the undersea fiber network owned by América Movil (operating under the Claro brand name) lands in both Barranquilla and Cartagena.

Colombia’s President Ivan Duque (above, 3rd from left) was on hand at last month’s launch ceremony on San Andrés, where he said: “Today with Minister Carmen Ligia Valderrama, with the private sector, with the regulators and with Claro, we are complying with the archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia, delivering a new submarine cable that will exponentially multiply the capacity to access information and the download capacity. This is quality of life: this is telemedicine, tele-education, better services for tourism and better digital payment services”.

San Andrés is a Caribbean archipelago consisting of the three inhabited islands of Providencia, Santa Catalina, and the largest, San Andrés with a population of approximately 60,000. The islands suffered severe damage in 2020 by Hurricanes Eta & Iota. Providencia took a direct hit from which it is still undergoing reconstruction. Though Colombian territory, the islands are roughly 150 miles off the coast of Central America, and the native Raizal population speaks a Creole English in addition to Spanish. The islands are very popular with tourists, especially from South America.

“For me, it is a source of great pride to be part of a company that is contributing to the development of the country through network coverage, access to technology and the development of digital ecosystems. Today we are taking a huge step forward in technology by connecting San Andrés to the world through this submarine fiber optic cable, which will bring unprecedented benefits to the inhabitants of the island and to the tourism, commerce, health, education, and government sectors,” said Carlos Zenteno, president of Claro Colombia.

According to Colombia’s Minister of Information & Communications Technology (MinTIC) Carmen Ligia Valderrama Rojas: “This cable is going to be fundamental so that the islanders can upload and download their content much faster, continue with their online training, access better daily services in health, tourism, education, and thus improve their life chances.”

Fiber termination. Photo courtesy América Movil