Huawei Marine and Belize Telemedia (BTL), the main telecoms operator in the country, announced the delivery of BTL's Strategic Evolution Underwater Link (SEUL) project, bringing optical submarine cable connectivity to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, the largest island of Belize.
Spanning over 23 km from the Belize mainland to the Caye, the new optical link will support the delivery of high speed broadband to the island.
A joint project by Belize Telemedia and Huawei Marine, the new cable system represents a key milestone in BTL's previously announced four-year $100 million investment program to transform and modernise the country's mobile and landline infrastructure. With the installation of the submarine cable, BTL will be able to offer its DigiNet Broadband product, with speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s, to customers on the island of Ambergris Caye.
BTL noted that in June of this year its CEO Rochus Schreiber met with Daniel Guerrero, the mayor of San Pedro Town, to discuss the coordination of efforts for future fibre installation works and the forthcoming DigiNet service offers. BTL expects to begin offering residents and businesses on the island faster, more reliable and affordable fibre-based broadband from August 2017.
BTL is the leading telecoms provider in Belize, offering mobile (via the DigiCell brand), landline and broadband services to the residential and commercial markets, with full reach throughout the country. The company is owned 63% by the government of Belize, with the remaining shares held by domestic institutional investors and individuals.
Regarding the project, BTL CEO Rochus Schreiber, commented, "The SEUL project is an important element of BTL's transformative Network Evolution Plan, and its delivery permits high-speed network connection between Belize and the island of Ambergris Caye, which will significantly enhance the prospects for economic development on the Caye… and eventually throughout the country".
