America II Fibre Optic cable damaged

There is a scheduled repair to the America’s 11 cable which is used as an internet route for Guyana; the repair is expected to be completed on Wednesday.

News Room was reliably informed that there is a fibre cable damage 18.2Km off of the Cayenne Cable station and that the Maintenance Authority- Orange are mobilizing repair efforts; the damage was discovered on March 4, News Room was told.

The damage is expected to affect French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana. News Room understands that all traffic, which is usually routed between Trinidad via the Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System (SGSCS) and Americas II via Suriname and French Guiana Terrestrial Fibers, may only be able to use the Trinidad route.

A few years ago, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) had several hours of complete outage where both cables were unavailable. GTT is currently the only operator with access to a submarine cable in Guyana.

With liberalization of the telecommunications sector expected soon, more cables will hopefully come to Guyana where cost and reliability are expected to improve.

Guyana has been a promising location for call centers but the costs of Communications are among highest in the region and hampers the growth of the industry.