Orange And SETAR Launch The CELIA-CETC Project Connecting The Caribbean, Co-Funded By The European Union
By Francois Giudice, Bureau Chief, France
Orange and SETAR have launched the construction of CELIA-CETC (Caribbean ELIte Alliance – Caribbean European Territories Cable), new highcapacity “express” fibers in the Caribbean region connecting Aruba and Martinique to Florida (US).
The CELIA-CETC project receives subsidies from the CEF2 (Connecting Europe Facility 2) program to contribute to the digital connectivity of Aruba and the French territories in the Antilles-French Guiana region.
The CELIA-CETC project powered by a new cable will cover 1900 kilometers and will feature a minimum of 22 terabits per second per fiber pair, with an initial estimated capacity of more than 44 Tbps for the CELIA-CETC scope. This project is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2027.
Landing stations will be installed in Le Lamentin (Martinique) and Baby Beach (Aruba), with
terminal station in Boca Raton, Florida (US). This project is sub-part of the CELIA cable system which includes other partners and landing sites.
In line with the ambitions of the EU and particularly those of its digital connectivity programme, the analysis of the connectivity environment of the Caribbean zone has highlighted major challenges:
the expected end of service of the Americas-II cable in 2025, the connectivity reinforcement of
European territories, and the digital cooperation of the European Union with neighboring territories.
The CELIA CETC project intends to respond to these challenges, following the European requirements expected in terms of digital modernity, security, and autonomy.
CELIA-CETC will enhance connectivity in the Caribbean, providing high-capacity and secure data transfer, very high Internet speeds, and low latency to support the region’s increasing digital
demand. This new infrastructure will sustain traffic growth for citizens of Aruba and French
Caribbean territories up to at least 2050, with high-capacity bandwidth, low latency, and high
resilience.
“Orange is delighted to leverage its leadership and industry expertise in the construction of the CELIA cable that will offer high-performance, fully secure international connectivity in the
Caribbean region. I thank our partner SETAR as well as the European Union for their support in
financing this project, which underscores the EU’s commitment to enhancing connectivity within its borders and beyond. Orange is proud to power global connectivity, developing its
infrastructures to connect communities, foster digital exchanges and support societal
development in a sustainable way. The CELIA Cable will benefit from the extensive experience of ASN as global supplier and of our subsidiary Orange Marine for the marine deployment.”, explains CEO of Orange Wholesale Michaël Trabbia.
“SETAR is excited to be part of the CELIA-CETC project. We are happy with the collaboration with Orange to receive this subsidy from the CEF2 (Connecting Europe Facility 2) program. For an island like Aruba, being connected to the global network helps us to be resilient, connect globally, drive education and private investments and to foster sustainable development for our island,” said CEO SETAR N.V Roland Croes.
Committed to strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, energy-efficient fiber optic technologies will be used, allowing significantly more data transmission with the same energy. State-of-the-art cooling equipment will improve electrical efficiency by approximately 30 per cent. The consortium is committed to avoiding protected or environmentally sensitive areas and preserve biodiversity during deployment. Environmental studies will also be conducted with NGOs and government authorities. The stations are prepared for adverse conditions like hurricanes and earthquakes, with continuity plans to minimize impacts.
The CELIA consortium includes SETAR N.V., Orange, Telxius, and APUA.
