Global Fiber Taps Padtec, Satelital for Subsea Cable Off Brazilian Coast
By John Tanner, Developing Telecoms
June 20, 2024
Peru-based telecoms operator Global Fiber says it has selected Brazilian fibre-optic vendor Padtec and Peruvian telecoms firm Satelital as primary suppliers for a subsea ‘festoon’ network connecting two provincial capital cities in Brazil.
A festoon network is designed to link multiple coastal points without requiring intermediate amplification. In this case, the subsea festoon cable will link the coastal cities of Belém (in Pará state) and Fortaleza (in Ceará state).
Padtec and Satelital will be responsible for leading the construction of the network. It's the first project under a strategic partnership formed by Padtec and Satelital earlier this month to offer turnkey solutions for the construction and maintenance of submarine and subriver networks in Latin America. That partnership also marked Padtec's return to the subsea cable sector after selling off its subsea division in 2019.
The Belém-Fortaleza subsea cable is part of a larger project by Global Fiber to deploy a fibre network across the Amazon region connecting Lima and Fortaleza. Global Fiber recently contracted Nokia to complete deployment of a subaquatic fibre network in the Amazon River that will connect Iquitos and Santa Rosa de Yaraví (Peru), Leticia (Colombia) and Tabatinga (Brazil).
Global Fiber CEO Obed Dionisio said the Belém-Fortaleza festoon cable will allow the region to be interconnected with lower latency.
“By supporting the construction of the Belém-Fortaleza section, within the Lima-Fortaleza project, Global Fiber contributes to reducing digital gaps in difficult-to-access locations, providing all areas of the Amazon region with high-quality communication and a more connected Latin America,” he said in a statement.
Manuel Andrade, CEO of Padtec North America and director of international operations, said the Belém-Fortaleza section is expected to come into operation at the end of 2025.