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Digicel leads project to deliver high-capacity undersea cable to Haiti; US$16m 'Fibralink' Extension will Reconnect Haiti to the GlobalEconomy through Broadband Services from July 2012
(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Kingston, Jamaica - Two years afterHaiti was struck by a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the country is setto receive a major boost with the delivery of a US$16m 200km undersea cablewhich will link the country to the world via internet connectivity, thanks toDigicel.
The project -- which is being undertaken in conjunction with ColumbusNetworks, the undersea fibre-optic cable network provider in the Pan CaribbeanAmericas region, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris et NYSE : ALU) -- willdramatically expand the range and quality of fixed and mobile broadbandservices and content delivered throughout the country.
The earthquake in January 2010 damaged or destroyed much of Haiti'scommunications network -- including the country's only other subsea cable linkwhich, to date, has not been fully restored. As a result, the Haitianpopulation and the Haitian economy have suffered from the lack of high-capacitybroadband connectivity that is pivotal to business, public sector and socialactivity.
Digicel Group Director of International Business, Conor Clarke, said; "Formore than two years now, Haiti's recovery has been hindered by the lack ofhigh-capacity broadband connections with the rest of the world. With thedelivery of this critical undersea cable, the people of Haiti will see a trulydramatic improvement in the range and quality of communications servicesavailable."
Once completed, the FibraLink Extension to Haiti will provide a secure,high-capacity subsea link with 21 other countries in the Caribbean region - aswell as with the United States and the main internet backbone gateway locatedin South Florida. Digicel is funding the entire project and has drawn onAlcatel-Lucent and Columbus Networks' technology and demonstrated expertisenecessary for the deployment of the high-capacity link.
Digicel's undersea cable project is the latest in its ongoing recovery andrebuilding efforts in Haiti. As the single largest private investor in Haiti,Digicel has invested over U$600 million to date and employs over 900 peopledirectly and more than 60,000 people indirectly.
Paul Scott, President of Columbus Networks said; "We are committed tofostering the development and continuous improvement of the communicationinfrastructure throughout the region where broadband adoption rates arecontinuing to grow rapidly. This expansion will enable us to enhance broadbandconnectivity further and thus deliver reliable bandwidth services atcost-effective prices to a very large population base."
Philippe Dumont, President of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said; "Weare proud to be part of this initiative as one of the variety of other outreachprogrammes to support Haiti's recovery. The benefits that this undersea linkcan bring to Haiti can't be over-estimated. We are pleased to collaborate withDigicel and Columbus Networks on such a critical endeavour."
Alcatel-Lucent originally deployed the FibraLink system which providescoastal and terrestrial connectivity from Kingston to Ocho Rios and Montego Bayin Jamaica with direct connectivity to the US by integrating into other part ofthe Columbus Networks infrastructure.
About Digicel Group
After ten years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has over 11 millioncustomers across its 31 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and thePacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service andbest network.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacificsports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions.Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor ofthe Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor ofseveral national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.
Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its marketsand has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea whichfocus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.
In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars -- an annual talent show tosupport aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned theEastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one ofthe top-rated shows.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla,Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British VirginIslands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, FrenchGuiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama,Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & theGrenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos andVanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in theCaribbean.
Visit www.digicelgroup.com formore information.
Digicel Press Contact
GillianPower gillian.power@digicelgroup.com T: +1 876 470 8601
About Columbus
Columbus Networks is a wholesale communications service provider that offersadvanced, high-speed bandwidth capacity to telecommunications companies andInternet Service Providers. Through the Columbus Business Solutions brand italso provides integrated telecom and IT solutions to the enterprise market.Columbus Networks operates the largest subsea fiber-optic communicationsnetwork connecting the United States, Mexico, Central America, South Americaand the Caribbean. The company's undersea fiber-optic networks span more than18,000 kilometers of cable routes including Americas Region CaribbeanOptical-ring System (ARCOS-1), Colombia -- Florida Express (CFX), EC-Link cablesystem, Fibralink and an ownership in the Maya consortium cable ColumbusNetworks is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbus Communications based inBridgetown, Barbados. Columbus Networks is based in North Miami Beach,Florida
For more information visit www.columbus-networks.com
About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)
The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governmentsaround the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field ofnetworking and communications technology, products and services. The company ishome to Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost research centers, responsiblefor breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry.Alcatel-Lucent was named one of MIT Technology Review's 2012 Top 50 list of the"World's Most Innovative Companies" for breakthroughs such as lightRadio(TM),which cuts power consumption and operating costs on wireless networks whiledelivering lightning fast Internet access. Through such innovations,Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable andmore accessible as we pursue our mission - Realizing the Potential of aConnected World.
With operations in more than 130 countries and one of the most experiencedglobal services organizations in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a localpartner with global reach. The Company achieved revenues of Euro 15.3 billionin 2011 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.
For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com , read the latest posts on theAlcatel-Lucent blog: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow the Companyon Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent .
Contact the Alcatel-Lucent Press Office: press@alcatel-lucent.com
((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).
(c) 2012 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
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