Taino-Carib

Overview

Taino-Carib is a short regional submarine cable system spanning 187 km, connecting landing points within United States territory. The cable links sites in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, serving an intra-territorial corridor in the Caribbean. With a diverse ownership group and over three decades of operation, it represents one of the earlier submarine cable systems serving this part of the Caribbean.

Route and Landings

All three landing points on the Taino-Carib system fall within United States territory. In Puerto Rico, the cable lands at Condado Beach and Isla Verde, both located on the northeastern coast of the island. The third landing point is Magen's Bay in the United States Virgin Islands. No laying order is implied by these landings; together they form a compact intra-territorial network across this Caribbean corridor.

Ownership and Operators

Taino-Carib is jointly owned by AT&T, Altice USA, CANTV, Cogent, Embratel, Liberty Networks, Orange, and Setar. This broad ownership group spans major telecommunications carriers and regional operators with interests across the Caribbean and Latin America. CANTV is Venezuela's principal telecommunications provider, while Embratel is a long-established Brazilian carrier. Setar is the national telecommunications operator of Aruba.

Status and Timeline

Taino-Carib entered service in 1992, making it 34 years operational. It was among the earliest submarine cable systems to serve the United States submarine cable network, which saw its first cable reach readiness for service in that same year. The system continues to operate as an in-service cable.

Regional Context

At 187 km, Taino-Carib is considerably shorter than most other submarine cables touching United States territory. It is longer than only 4% of the 71 other cables serving the same corridor, reflecting its role as a compact, intra-territorial link rather than a long-haul intercontinental system. Regional peers operating in the same United States corridor include much longer systems such as the Southern Cross Cable Network at 30,500 km, GlobeNet at 23,500 km, and the Asia-America Gateway Cable System at 20,000 km. Taino-Carib occupies a distinct niche as a short-range connection within this otherwise intercontinental-dominated cable environment.

Strategic Role

Taino-Carib provides direct submarine connectivity between Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, two geographically close but island-separated territories. Its three landing points across these two locations support telecommunications exchange within a constrained geographic area. Given the concentration of landings across Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the cable serves the specific connectivity needs of these Caribbean territories without duplicating the long-haul function of the larger intercontinental systems present in the broader United States cable network.