Global Caribbean Network (GCN)

Overview

The Global Caribbean Network (GCN) is a regional submarine cable system spanning 890 km across the northeastern Caribbean. It connects five territories — Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, the United States (Puerto Rico), and the U.S. Virgin Islands — serving a corridor of French overseas collectivities and U.S. insular territories in the Lesser Antilles.

Route and Landings

In Guadeloupe, the cable lands at two points: Baillif and Jarry. These dual landings on the same island provide geographic diversity within the territory.

Saint Barthélemy is served by a landing at Gustavia, the island's main harbor settlement.

Saint Martin has a landing at Marigot, located on the French side of the divided island.

In the United States, the cable reaches San Juan, Puerto Rico, connecting the system to a major telecommunications hub in the Caribbean.

The U.S. Virgin Islands are served by a landing at St. Croix, extending the network to that U.S. territory.

Ownership and Operators

GCN is owned by the Loret Group, a private operator with interests in telecommunications infrastructure across the French Caribbean. As a single-owner system, it reflects a privately held approach to regional connectivity rather than a multi-party consortium model.

Status and Timeline

GCN was ready for service in 2006. The cable has been in operation connecting its six landing points across the northeastern Caribbean since that year.

Regional Context

GCN operates as a short-haul, intra-Caribbean system at 890 km, focused on linking French and U.S. insular territories within a compact geographic cluster. This distinguishes it sharply from the long-haul transoceanic cables that also land in the United States, such as the Southern Cross Cable Network at 30,500 km, GlobeNet at 23,500 km, or the Asia-America Gateway at 20,000 km. Where those systems span ocean basins, GCN addresses connectivity within a tightly defined island corridor in the Lesser Antilles.

Strategic Role

By linking six landing points across five territories within the northeastern Caribbean, GCN provides direct submarine connectivity between French overseas collectivities — Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin — and U.S. jurisdictions in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The two separate landings in Guadeloupe at Baillif and Jarry allow for some degree of landing diversity within that territory. The system fills a regional role that longer intercontinental cables passing through the area are not designed to serve, connecting a set of small island communities through dedicated short-range infrastructure.