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ADDING MULTIMEDIA Columbus Networks Installing New Multi-Million Dollar Undersea Fiber Route

Posted on: Monday, 21 May 2007, 09:00 CDT

Columbus Networks today announced it is installing a new multi-million dollar undersea fiber route that will link Colombia directly to Florida and offer users improved network redundancy, reliability, performance, and bandwidth availability throughout the Pan-Caribbean and Americas Region.

Columbus Networks' Colombia-Florida Sub Sea Fibre Project, dubbed CFX-1, includes more than 2,400 kilometers of high-strength, high-capacity fiber-optic cable and will have a branch into Jamaica. It seamlessly connects with the ARCOS-1 undersea ringed network forming two large sub-rings for alternate routing and redundancy. The express link will have three new landing stations in Cartagena, Colombia, Morant Point, Jamaica, and Boca Raton, Fla., USA. (See maps on next page)

Work on the new undersea network project is well underway.

"CFX-1 is the largest network expansion project our company has undertaken since it was acquired by Columbus Communications in September 2005," said Paul Scott, president of Columbus Networks, a subsidiary of the Bridgetown, Barbados-based communications company. "This project demonstrates Columbus' ongoing commitment to invest in the region and help stimulate new economic growth and expansion."

"This initiative is in response to insatiable demand for bandwidth from our growing base of clients operating throughout the region and in particular Colombia," Scott said. "More importantly, the new sub-sea network will further protect our clients' data traffic by providing additional route diversity as well as a scalable and reliable express link to Internet backbone access in Florida and the region."

Columbus Networks awarded the contract for building the network to Tyco Telecommunications, a business unit of Tyco Electronics. Tyco Telecommunications has extensive knowledge and experience in undersea cable engineering, construction, repair and maintenance practices throughout the world.

A high-resolution map of the new fiber route and the ARCOS-1 network is available at http://www.columbus-networks.com/Images/US_Colombia_Express_Route.jpg.

"This new system will not only greatly improve the reliability of ARCOS, but also provide further network redundancy for Jamaica and add huge capacity capability for the entire region," said William Marra, vice president and general manager of Tyco Telecommunications. "We are honored to have been once again chosen by Columbus Networks to provide our subsea systems to meet their ongoing growth in the region."

Tyco's project plan for CFX-1 is on schedule and the new system is expected to be in service by June 2008.

About Columbus Networks

Columbus Networks provides broadband and IP services to telecommunications carriers, cable television companies, Internet service providers, and network Integrators throughout the Pan-Caribbean and Americas region. Columbus Networks is a 94 percent owner and principal operator of the Americas Region Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS), which connects the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Columbus Networks provides more than 11,000 kilometers of undersea fiber optic network through the Company's ARCOS network combined with its new undersea link to Trinidad that is scheduled for activation in October and its affiliate company's sub-sea networks in Bahamas (Caribbean Crossings) and Jamaica (Fibralink).

The Company is also constructing a 1,000 km sub-sea network extension to Trinidad which is expected to be operational in October, 2007. Columbus Networks is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bridgetown, Barbados-based Columbus Communications Inc. The company's website is www.columbus-networks.com. Telephone: 1-786-274-7400.

Source: Business Wire

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