East-West Cable (EWC)

Overview

The East-West Cable (EWC) is a submarine telecommunications cable system that spans 1,705 kilometers across the Caribbean Sea. It connects three key territories: the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the British Virgin Islands. Operational since 2011, the EWC provides a vital communication link within the region, facilitating data transfer and connectivity between Hispaniola, the Greater Antilles, and the eastern Caribbean. Its design reflects a focused regional scope, addressing the specific needs of mid-sized markets within the Caribbean rather than extending across hemispheric distances. The cable plays a critical role in supporting the digital infrastructure of these island nations, which rely heavily on robust and reliable connectivity for economic and social development.

Route and Landings

The East-West Cable has three landing points strategically located to maximize its regional impact. In the Dominican Republic, the cable lands at Haina, a port town on the southern coast near Santo Domingo, the nation’s capital and largest metropolitan area. This landing provides connectivity to one of the Caribbean's most populous urban centers. In Jamaica, the cable comes ashore at Harbour View, situated on the eastern outskirts of Kingston. As Jamaica's capital and economic hub, Kingston represents a critical node for national and regional communication networks. The third landing point is Nanny Cay in the British Virgin Islands, located on the island of Tortola. Tortola is a significant administrative and economic center within the British Virgin Islands, making Nanny Cay a strategic location for regional connectivity.

The EWC's route traverses the Caribbean Sea, linking these three territories in a direct and efficient manner. Its path avoids the longer, more complex routes of transcontinental systems, focusing instead on strengthening intra-Caribbean ties. The cable's design and landing points reflect its role in connecting mid-sized markets that are geographically dispersed but economically interdependent.

Ownership and History

The East-West Cable is owned and operated by Liberty Networks, a wholesale infrastructure provider specializing in connectivity solutions across the Caribbean and Latin America. Liberty Networks focuses on delivering high-capacity bandwidth and reliable communication services to carriers and internet service providers in the region. The EWC entered service in 2011, marking over a decade of operation as a key part of the region's digital infrastructure. Its deployment addressed a growing demand for improved connectivity within the Caribbean, offering a dedicated route for data transfer between the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the British Virgin Islands.

By focusing on regional connectivity, Liberty Networks has positioned the EWC as a complementary system to larger, transcontinental cables. While other systems in the region, such as ARCOS, SAm-1, and AMX-1, provide hemispheric reach, the EWC fills a critical gap by directly linking three important Caribbean territories. This targeted approach underscores the cable's role in fostering regional collaboration and economic integration.

What Our Measurements Show

Our live monitoring of the East-West Cable has identified 139 measured corridors along its route. These measurements provide insights into the cable's performance and reliability. The best recorded round-trip time (RTT) is 92 milliseconds, while the average RTT across all corridors is 217 milliseconds. These figures reflect the cable's efficiency in handling data traffic within the Caribbean region, where latency is a critical factor for both commercial and residential users.

The measured performance of the EWC highlights its capacity to meet the connectivity needs of its service areas. The cable's relatively low latency supports a range of applications, from business communications to internet services, ensuring that users in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the British Virgin Islands can access reliable and high-speed connections. By maintaining consistent performance across its route, the EWC continues to play a vital role in the region's digital ecosystem, enabling seamless communication and data exchange among its connected territories.