EC Link

EC Link: Submarine Cable Connecting Trinidad and Tobago to Curaçao

The EC Link is a submarine telecommunications cable spanning 1078 kilometers between Chaguaramas in Trinidad and Tobago and Willemstad in Curaçao. Owned by Liberty Networks, it is listed as in service and utilizes repeatered fiber optic technology with 5x100G wavelength upgrades supplied by TE SubCom. While its design capacity and number of fiber pairs are not publicly disclosed, the cable plays a role in regional connectivity, linking two important Caribbean locations. What stands out about EC Link is the limited information available regarding its technical specifications and operational history. While GeoCables records its ready-for-service (RFS) year as 2007, this date has not been independently corroborated by other industry sources. Additionally, latency measurements from remote probes reveal significant deviations from theoretical calculations, underscoring the complexities of real-world internet routing.

Quick facts

Cable name	EC Link
Length	1078 km
Ready-for-service year	2007 (GeoCables database value; independent verification unavailable)
Owners	Liberty Networks
Status	In service
Design capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	TE SubCom (upgrade)
Technology	5x100G wavelength, Repeatered
Landing points	Chaguaramas (Trinidad and Tobago), Willemstad (Curaçao)

Show EC Link on the interactive cable map

Route

The EC Link connects Chaguaramas, located on the northwestern tip of Trinidad, to Willemstad, the capital city of Curaçao. Both landing points are key hubs for regional telecommunications. Chaguaramas hosts multiple other submarine cables, including Deep Blue One, Eastern Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS), Southern Caribbean Fiber, and Suriname-Guyana Submarine Cable System (SG-SCS). Willemstad is similarly well-connected, with cables such as Alonso de Ojeda, Amerigo Vespucci, ARCOS, CELIA, and Jerry Newton landing there. This corridor serves as a critical link between the southern Caribbean islands, facilitating data exchange and connectivity.

Why it was built and what it carries

The EC Link was likely constructed to enhance regional connectivity between Trinidad and Tobago and Curaçao, two economically and strategically significant Caribbean territories. While specific details about its traffic composition are not disclosed, submarine cables in this corridor typically carry internet, voice, and data services for residential, commercial, and enterprise customers. The cable also supports Liberty Networks' broader goals of improving telecommunications infrastructure in the region.

History: what can be established

According to GeoCables, the EC Link became ready for service in 2007. However, no corroborating documentation from Liberty Networks or other industry sources has been identified to confirm this date. If the cable was indeed operational from 2007, it would have been part of a wave of infrastructure development aimed at modernizing Caribbean connectivity during that period. The involvement of TE SubCom in upgrading the cable suggests that its technology has been refreshed to meet contemporary demands. The lack of publicly available records about its initial deployment, ownership transitions (if any), and upgrades makes it difficult to construct a detailed timeline of the cable's history.

Capacity and technology

The EC Link employs repeatered fiber optic technology with 5x100G wavelengths, as per the latest upgrade by TE SubCom. However, its design capacity and number of fiber pairs are not disclosed in public sources. Without operator documentation, it is impossible to state these values definitively. Submarine cables of this type typically support terabit-scale capacities, but attributing a specific figure to EC Link would be speculative.

Latency: the physics

The theoretical one-way light propagation latency over the cable's 1078 km wet segment is approximately 5.3 milliseconds, resulting in a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 10.6 milliseconds. However, live latency measurements from remote probes show much higher values: - Chaguaramas -> Willemstad: minimum 92.8 ms, average 105.7 ms - Willemstad -> Chaguaramas: minimum 1374.1 ms, average 2304.8 ms These discrepancies arise from the inclusion of land tails, terminal equipment delays, and internet routing inefficiencies. Measurements from other global locations, such as Sao Paulo, Minsk, and Singapore, further illustrate the compounded latency effects when traversing multiple networks.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

If the EC Link were to experience a fault, redundancy in the region would depend on alternative cables landing at Chaguaramas and Willemstad. Chaguaramas is served by Deep Blue One, ECFS, Southern Caribbean Fiber, and SG-SCS, while Willemstad hosts Alonso de Ojeda, Amerigo Vespucci, ARCOS, CELIA, and Jerry Newton. These cables provide potential backup routes for rerouting traffic. Repairing submarine cables typically involves deploying specialized vessels to locate, retrieve, and fix the damaged segment, a process that can take weeks depending on the severity of the fault and weather conditions.

Bottom line

• EC Link spans 1078 km between Chaguaramas and Willemstad.
• Owned by Liberty Networks and listed as in service.
• Ready-for-service year recorded as 2007, though independent verification is unavailable.
• Design capacity and fiber pair count are not publicly disclosed.
• Upgraded by TE SubCom with 5x100G wavelength technology.
• Theoretical RTT floor is 10.6 ms; real-world latency measurements are significantly higher.
• Redundancy is supported by multiple alternative cables at both landing points.