Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Position in regional infrastructure

Guantánamo Bay is a US naval base on the southeastern coast of Cuba, at coordinates 19.939616°N, 75.158166°W. The base is a US Government enclave within Cuban territory, leased under a treaty dating to 1903. For submarine cable infrastructure, Guantánamo Bay is a US-operated landing point distinct from Cuba's broader cable infrastructure: two GTMO cables land here, both connecting the base to US territory (Florida and Puerto Rico) and operated by the US Government rather than commercial carriers.

The cables here serve the operational connectivity needs of the US naval base. Guantánamo's submarine cable infrastructure is structurally separated from Cuba's national network — Cuban civilian connectivity depends on cables landing at other Cuban sites (notably the ALBA-1 cable to Venezuela and historic ARCOS-1 routing).

Submarine cables landing in Guantánamo Bay

GTMO-1 is a 1,528 km submarine cable in service since 2016, owned by the U.S. Government. From Guantánamo Bay it reaches Dania Beach in Florida — providing a direct fibre link between the naval base and the US mainland. GTMO-1 replaced earlier satellite-only and slower-cable connectivity for the base.

GTMO-PR is a 1,400 km submarine cable in service since 2019, owned by the U.S. Government. From Guantánamo Bay it reaches Punta Salinas in Puerto Rico — providing a second diverse path for the base's connectivity, complementing GTMO-1's Florida route.

Connection topology and redundancy

The two GTMO cables provide explicit redundancy for the naval base's connectivity: a fault on GTMO-1 leaves GTMO-PR operational and vice versa. The US-Government ownership of both means there is no commercial operator-level diversity, but the cables terminate at different US territories (Florida vs. Puerto Rico) and follow physically separated routes — providing geographic and route-level redundancy against single incidents.

Cuban civilian connectivity is structurally separate. The GTMO cables do not interconnect with Cuban national fibre infrastructure at the landing — they are strictly US-to-US cables traversing through Cuban territorial waters as part of the unique status of the base. For users searching about "Cuba submarine cable", the GTMO cables are technically US infrastructure rather than Cuban infrastructure.

Geography and coordinates

The Guantánamo Bay submarine cable landing sits at 19.939616°N, 75.158166°W (19°56'22"N, 75°09'29"W), on the southeastern coast of Cuba. The protected harbour of Guantánamo Bay provides cable approach conditions, while the US-operated infrastructure is contained within the leased base territory.

Frequently asked questions

What submarine cables land at Guantánamo Bay?

Two submarine cables land at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay: GTMO-1 (RFS 2016, 1,528 km, to Dania Beach Florida) and GTMO-PR (RFS 2019, 1,400 km, to Punta Salinas Puerto Rico). Both are owned by the U.S. Government.

What are the coordinates of the Guantánamo Bay cable landing?

The Guantánamo Bay cable landing is at 19.939616°N, 75.158166°W (19°56'22"N, 75°09'29"W), on the southeastern coast of Cuba within the US naval base.

Which US locations connect through Guantánamo Bay?

Through GTMO-1, the naval base connects to Dania Beach, Florida (US mainland). Through GTMO-PR, the base connects to Punta Salinas, Puerto Rico.

When was the first submarine cable laid at Guantánamo Bay?

The earliest documented Guantánamo cable in the GeoCables dataset is GTMO-1, in service since 2016. GTMO-PR followed in 2019.

Are the GTMO cables part of Cuba's national infrastructure?

No. The GTMO cables are owned and operated by the US Government and serve the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay. Cuban national connectivity depends on other cables landing at other Cuban sites (notably ALBA-1) that interconnect with Cuban civilian fibre infrastructure.