Kanawa

Overview

Kanawa is a regional submarine cable system connecting two French overseas territories in the Caribbean and South American region: French Guiana and Martinique. Spanning 1,746 km, it serves the corridor between the northeastern coast of South America and the eastern Caribbean islands. The cable has been operated by Orange since it entered service in 2019.

Route and Landings

In French Guiana, Kanawa lands at Kourou, a coastal town on the northeastern shoulder of South America. In Martinique, the cable comes ashore at Schoelcher, located on the western coast of the island. These two landing points represent the full extent of the system.

Ownership and Operators

Kanawa is solely owned by Orange, the French multinational telecommunications operator. Orange maintains a broad presence across French overseas territories, and Kanawa forms part of its infrastructure serving the French Caribbean and Guiana region.

Status and Timeline

Kanawa became ready for service in 2019 and has been operational for approximately seven years. It was the first submarine cable to land in French Guiana, marking a notable development in connectivity for that territory.

Regional Context

Kanawa operates in a corridor that includes both French Guiana and Martinique, two territories that together are served by several submarine cable systems of varying lengths. At 1,746 km, Kanawa is shorter than most of its regional peers, which tend to cover considerably longer distances. Among the cables touching the same countries, Kanawa is longer than approximately 17% of them, placing it at the shorter end of the regional spectrum. Systems such as EllaLink (6,200 km, 2021) and Deep Blue One (2,250 km, 2024) serve French Guiana, while Martinique is also reached by cables including ARIMAO (2,470 km, 2023), CELIA (3,700 km, expected 2027), Southern Caribbean Fiber (3,000 km, 2006), and the Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (1,730 km, 1995). Martinique hosts five submarine cable landings across two landing points, while French Guiana has three cables landing across two landing points — a concentration that reflects growing demand for connectivity in both territories.

Strategic Role

By linking Kourou in French Guiana directly to Schoelcher in Martinique, Kanawa provides a dedicated submarine connection between two French overseas territories that are geographically separated by the arc of Caribbean islands. This direct link supports communications between a South American coastal territory and an eastern Caribbean island, complementing the broader set of cables that connect each territory to more distant destinations.