South America-1 (SAm-1)

South America-1 (SAm-1): A Pan-American Submarine Cable

The South America-1 (SAm-1) submarine cable, owned by Telxius, spans approximately 25,000 kilometers, making it one of the longest systems connecting South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States. Operational since 2001, it provides a critical telecommunications link for numerous countries along its route, offering international connectivity to major landing points across the Americas. What makes SAm-1 particularly notable is its extensive reach and the diversity of its landing points, which include locations in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. Despite its importance, several technical specifications, such as design capacity, fiber pair count, and supplier details, are not publicly disclosed, leaving some aspects of its engineering and operational capabilities open to interpretation.

Quick facts

Name	South America-1 (SAm-1)
Length	25,000 km
Ready for Service (RFS)	2001 (GeoCables database; conflicting dates not surfaced in industry sources)
Owner	Telxius
Status	In service
Design Capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber Pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed

Show South America-1 (SAm-1) on the interactive cable map

Route

The SAm-1 cable connects 15 landing points across the Americas:

• Arica (Chile)
• Barranquilla (Colombia)
• Boca Raton (United States)
• Fortaleza (Brazil)
• Las Toninas (Argentina)
• Lurin (Peru)
• Mancora (Peru)
• Puerto Barrios (Guatemala)
• Puerto San Jose (Guatemala)
• Punta Cana (Dominican Republic)
• Punta Carnero (Ecuador)
• Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
• Salvador (Brazil)
• San Juan (United States)
• Santos (Brazil)
• Valparaíso (Chile)

The cable traverses a diverse geographical corridor, connecting coastal cities and major economic hubs across the Americas. Its landing points overlap with numerous other submarine cables, providing opportunities for redundancy and alternative routing.

Why it was built and what it carries

SAm-1 was constructed to address the growing demand for international bandwidth in the Americas, driven by the rise of internet usage, globalization, and the need for reliable data transmission. It supports telecommunications traffic, including internet, voice, and private data services, for businesses and consumers in the region. The cable's extensive reach makes it a key infrastructure for connecting South America to the global internet.

History: what can be established

The GeoCables database records SAm-1's ready-for-service (RFS) year as 2001. While no conflicting dates have been identified in industry sources, the absence of detailed historical documentation makes it difficult to verify the exact timeline of its construction and commissioning. Telxius, the cable's owner, has maintained its operational status, ensuring continued service across its route.

Capacity and technology

Publicly available information does not disclose the design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or specific technology used in SAm-1. Without operator documentation, attributing these details would be speculative. Given its 2001 commissioning date, the cable likely underwent upgrades to keep pace with technological advancements and increasing bandwidth demands, but no concrete details are available.

Latency: the physics

Theoretical one-way light propagation over the 25,000 km wet segment of SAm-1 is approximately 122.5 milliseconds, resulting in a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 245.1 milliseconds. Real-world latency is higher due to additional factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and routing inefficiencies. Live latency measurements from remote probes, which reflect the full internet path rather than the cable itself, include artifacts that fall below the physical latency floor. For example:

• Las Toninas -> Boca Raton: min 1.3 ms, avg 131.1 ms (min is an artifact)
• Sao Paulo -> Las Toninas: min 1.3 ms, avg 3.7 ms (min is an artifact)
• Cape Town -> Las Toninas: min 150.4 ms, avg 377.9 ms (min is an artifact)
• Almaty -> Las Toninas: min 55.9 ms, avg 309.4 ms (min is an artifact)
• Boca Raton -> Las Toninas: min 139.7 ms, avg 152.5 ms (min is an artifact)
• Sao Paulo -> Boca Raton: min 128.9 ms, avg 133.0 ms (min is an artifact)

These artifacts typically result from rate-limited ICMP replies from intermediate routers and should not be interpreted as true cable performance.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

SAm-1's landing points are interconnected with numerous other submarine cables, providing redundancy in case of failure. For example, Fortaleza, Brazil, is a hub for cables such as BRUSA, EllaLink, and Monet, while Las Toninas, Argentina, connects to systems like Malbec and Tannat. Repairs to submarine cables typically involve specialized vessels and can take weeks depending on the nature of the fault, weather conditions, and location.

Bottom line

• SAm-1 spans 25,000 km and connects 15 landing points across the Americas.
• Owned by Telxius and operational since 2001, its technical specifications remain largely undisclosed.
• Its route overlaps with numerous other cables, ensuring redundancy.
• Theoretical latency floor is 245.1 ms RTT, with live measurements showing artifacts below this threshold.
• Key infrastructure for international connectivity in the Americas, though many technical details are unknown.