CELIA

Overview

CELIA is a regional submarine cable system spanning approximately 3,700 kilometres across the Caribbean and connecting to the eastern coast of the United States. The cable links seven territories and nations — Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Curaçao, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Sint Eustatius and Saba, and the United States — forming an intra-Caribbean corridor with a mainland US anchor point. CELIA is planned for readiness in 2027.

Route and Landings

In the United States, CELIA lands at Boca Raton, Florida, and at San Juan, Puerto Rico, providing both a mainland US connection and a Puerto Rican hub within the same system.

In Antigua and Barbuda, the cable lands at Morris Bay. Aruba is served by a landing at Baby Beach, while Curaçao connects at Willemstad. The French territory of Martinique has a landing at Le Lamentin, and Saint Barthélemy is reached at Saint Jean Bay. The Dutch special municipality of Bonaire, part of Sint Eustatius and Saba, has a landing point at Kralendijk.

Ownership and Operators

CELIA is owned by a consortium of four entities: APUA (Antigua Public Utilities Authority), Orange, Setar, and Telxius. APUA is the public utility provider of Antigua and Barbuda, Setar is the state-owned telecommunications operator of Aruba, and Telxius is the telecommunications infrastructure arm of Telefónica. Orange is a major international telecommunications group with a strong presence across French overseas territories, including Martinique and Saint Barthélemy.

Status and Timeline

CELIA is currently planned, with a Ready for Service date of 2027. The system is not yet operational.

Regional Context

The Caribbean corridor served by CELIA includes several well-established long-haul cable systems that also land in the United States, such as GlobeNet, South America-1, and the Southern Cross Cable Network, each spanning tens of thousands of kilometres. CELIA, at 3,700 kilometres, is a comparatively compact regional system focused on inter-island and island-to-mainland connectivity rather than transoceanic reach. Its eight landing points across seven distinct territories reflect the dispersed geography of the Caribbean island chain and the corresponding need for localised connectivity infrastructure.

Strategic Role

By linking small island territories — several of which are French or Dutch overseas entities with limited existing cable connections — directly to US mainland and Puerto Rican landing points, CELIA addresses the specific connectivity needs of a fragmented Caribbean geography. The spread of ownership across local utilities and international operators reflects the multi-jurisdictional nature of the corridor the cable serves.