History is being made in local Information and Communication Technology as the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, through a Public Private Partnership with Digicel (SVG), Ltd., commences the installation of Subsea fiber cable between mainland Saint Vincent and the Grenadine islands of Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, and Union Island, with connections to Carriacou and Grenada.

The laying of the subsea fibre cable will also be installed from Owia to Chateaubelair. The installation is being done by the specialized subsea cable laying vessel, the CS Intrepid. The subsea fibre cable will be connected to Cable Landing Stations and be joined to the terrestrial fibre network currently being rolled out to complete a fibre optic broadband network throughout Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This is expected to be completed by September, 2019.

The laying of the cable forms part of the World Bank funded Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Programme (CARCIP), National Broadband Project. The project involves the provision, maintenance and operation of a government-Wide Area Network (GWAN), an Internet Protocol PBX, and the installation, maintenance and operation of an undersea cable system for Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines envisages that these investments in ICT will be leveraged as a pillar of its national development strategy, and allow for increased access to quality and affordable Information and Communication Technology (ICT), services.

A media event to mark the completion of the installation of the subsea cable will be held on Thursday, 30th May 2019, at the Cruise Ship Terminal, commencing at 5:00 p.m. It will be addressed by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Camillo Gonsalves, and Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves.

SOURCE: API