Antillas 1: regional submarine cable connecting the Caribbean and the United States
Antillas 1 is a submarine telecommunications cable system that spans 601 km, linking the Dominican Republic and the United States. It has landing points in
Cacique and
Punta Cana (both in the Dominican Republic) and
Isla Verde in Puerto Rico. Operational since 1997 according to GeoCables records, Antillas 1 is owned by a consortium including Altice Dominicana, Antelecom, Claro Dominicana (Codetel), Liberty Networks, and Setar. While its design capacity, fiber pair count, and supplier details are not disclosed publicly, the cable remains listed as in service, playing a role in regional connectivity.
What makes Antillas 1 interesting is the lack of publicly available technical details about its capacity and technology, which is unusual for submarine cables of its era. Additionally, its latency measurements, both theoretical and live, highlight the complexities of real-world network performance. Furthermore, the cable's landing points overlap with several other systems, providing redundancy options in case of outages.
Quick facts
| Length | 601 km |
| Ready for service (RFS) | 1997 (GeoCables database) |
| Owners | Altice Dominicana, Antelecom, Claro Dominicana (Codetel), Liberty Networks, Setar |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Cacique (Dominican Republic); Isla Verde (United States); Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) |
🗺 Show Antillas 1 on the interactive cable map
Route
Antillas 1 connects three landing points: Cacique and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and Isla Verde in Puerto Rico. The corridor provides critical links between the Caribbean and the mainland United States. Isla Verde serves as a significant hub, hosting multiple other submarine cables, including
ARCOS,
Sint Maarten Puerto Rico Network One (SMPR-1), and
Taino-Carib. Punta Cana similarly overlaps with ARCOS and
South America-1 (SAm-1), ensuring redundancy in regional connectivity.
Why it was built and what it carries
Antillas 1 was likely constructed to enhance telecommunications between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, as well as to facilitate connectivity between the Caribbean and the United States. Its owners, spanning major telecom operators in the region, suggest its role in supporting both consumer internet services and enterprise connectivity. The lack of disclosed design capacity limits deeper analysis of its throughput capabilities, but cables of its era were typically designed to handle growing demand for voice, data, and internet traffic.
History: what can be established
GeoCables lists Antillas 1 as ready for service in 1997. If industry sources suggest a different RFS year, this discrepancy is not widely documented. Possible reasons for such conflicts include delays in commissioning, staggered activation of landing points, or variations in how "ready for service" is defined. The cable's continued operation demonstrates its enduring utility, though details about upgrades or modernization efforts remain unavailable.
Capacity and technology
Publicly available sources do not disclose Antillas 1's design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, or specific technology. Without operator documentation, attributing these characteristics would be speculative. Given its age, the cable may have undergone upgrades to remain competitive, but no details are confirmed.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical one-way light propagation over 601 km of fiber is approximately 2.9 ms, resulting in a round-trip time (RTT) floor of about 5.9 ms for the wet segment. However, real-world latency is higher due to factors such as land tails, routing, and terminal equipment. Live measurements from remote probes show significant variation:
- Cacique to Isla Verde: minimum 65.3 ms, average 135.1 ms over 74 checks
- Isla Verde to Cacique: minimum 54.1 ms, average 63.8 ms over 27 checks
- Sao Paulo to Cacique: minimum 285.8 ms, average 289.5 ms over 4 checks
- Singapore to Cacique: minimum 321.8 ms, average 326.8 ms over 4 checks
- Saint Petersburg to Cacique: minimum 229.7 ms, average 236.1 ms over 3 checks
- Sao Paulo to Isla Verde: minimum 139.2 ms, average 139.2 ms over 1 check
These values reflect the full internet path rather than the cable itself, including terrestrial networks and routing inefficiencies.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If Antillas 1 experiences an outage, redundancy is available through overlapping cables at its landing points. Isla Verde hosts ARCOS, SMPR-1, and Taino-Carib, while Punta Cana connects to ARCOS and SAm-1. Standard industry practices for submarine cable repair include fault localization, ship-based cable retrieval, and splicing. However, repair times can vary significantly based on fault location, weather conditions, and permitting.
Bottom line
- Antillas 1 spans 601 km, connecting the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
- Ready for service in 1997, though no upgrades or modernization details are confirmed.
- Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
- Latency measurements highlight the difference between theoretical and real-world performance.
- Redundancy is provided by several overlapping cables at its landing points.