Southern Caribbean Fiber

Overview

Southern Caribbean Fiber is a regional submarine cable system spanning approximately 3,000 km across the eastern Caribbean. It connects a large number of island territories and forms a dense intra-Caribbean network, linking landing points across fifteen countries and territories, from Trinidad and Tobago in the south to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the north. With sixteen landing points in total, the system provides submarine connectivity to some of the smaller island nations in the Lesser Antilles that are served by fewer cable systems overall.

Route and Landings

In Antigua and Barbuda, the cable lands at Dickenson Bay. Barbados is served at Needham's Point. The landing point in Dominica is Canefield, while Grenada is reached at Point Salines. Guadeloupe has two landing points: Baie-Mahault and Baillif. In Martinique, the cable lands at Le Lamentin. Montserrat is connected via Bunkum Bay. Saint Barthélemy is served at Gustavia, and Saint Kitts and Nevis at Basseterre. Saint Lucia's landing point is Rodney Bay, while Saint Martin is connected at St. Louis. Kingstown serves as the landing point for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In Trinidad and Tobago, the cable lands at Chaguaramas. Within the United States, the cable reaches San Juan, Puerto Rico. The U.S. Virgin Islands are connected at St. Croix.

Ownership and Operators

Southern Caribbean Fiber is owned by Digicel, a telecommunications group with an extensive presence across the Caribbean region. Unlike many long-haul cables operated by multi-party consortia, this system is held by a single owner.

Technical Profile

The cable extends to a total length of 3,000 km, reflecting its regional scope within the eastern Caribbean arc.

Status and Timeline

Southern Caribbean Fiber entered service in 2006 and currently operates as an active cable system.

Regional Context

The eastern Caribbean corridor is also served by several long-haul international cables, including South American Crossing (SAC), GlobeNet, South America-1, and the Southern Cross Cable Network, all of which are considerably longer systems oriented toward transcontinental connectivity. Southern Caribbean Fiber occupies a distinct role in this landscape, focusing on intra-island connectivity within a compact 3,000 km footprint rather than intercontinental reach. Measured round-trip latency over the cable averages 102.2 ms across recent testing, with a best recorded result of 44.1 ms.

Strategic Role

By landing in sixteen locations across fifteen territories, Southern Caribbean Fiber provides submarine cable access to several smaller island nations in the Lesser Antilles that have limited alternative cable options. The system spans from Trinidad and Tobago northward through the island chain to Puerto Rico and St. Croix, enabling direct submarine connections among territories that might otherwise depend on longer, multi-hop routing through larger regional hubs.