322 km · 3 Landing Points · 1 Countries · Ready for Service: 2013
| Length | 322 km |
|---|---|
| Status | In Service |
| Ready for Service | 2013 |
| Capacity | 0.2 Tbps |
| Supplier | Huawei Marine Networks |
| Technology | 2x100G, Unrepeated |
| Landing Points | 3 |
| Countries | 1 |
| Location |
|---|
| Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico |
| Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico |
| Manzanillo, Mexico |
What each country and landing point keeps if Lazaro Cardenas-Manzanillo Santiago Submarine Cable System (LCMSSCS) goes down. A calculation from our cable and landing-point database, not a forecast.
| Country | Other international cables | Land links | What remains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 8 | yes | reserve of 8 cables |
On an island this means losing the submarine link; on the mainland traffic can still go over land.
No alerts from our monitoring on this cable in the last 180 days. Events feed →
Counted: other international cables landing in the same country (domestic cables between points of one country are not a way out), other cables at landing points within 50 km, and whether the country has land links. Not counted: cable capacity, operator contracts and satellite. Use as a first look at dependence, not as a statement of what would happen.
Monitored from 2026-09-26 through 2026-10-09 - live ICMP round-trip time measurements via our monitoring probes. All values below are recomputed daily from raw probe data. ✓ No anomalies detected in the monitored period.
| Probe | Location | Samples | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| #6410 own probe | Sao Paulo BR | 10 | 163.7 ms |
| own probe | Saint Petersburg RU | 10 | 183.3 ms |
| #6568 own probe | Singapore SG | 9 | 235.6 ms |
| #7062 | control probe | 1 | 272.8 ms |
The Lazaro Cardenas-Manzanillo Santiago Submarine Cable System (LCMSSCS) is a 322 km submarine fiber-optic cable system located entirely within Mexican territorial waters. This unrepeatered system connects three critical locations along Mexico's Pacific coast: Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in Guerrero, and Manzanillo (Bahía de Santiago) in Colima. The cable became operational in 2013 and is owned and operated by Telmex, a subsidiary of América Móvil. Its primary purpose is to enhance coastal connectivity and provide redundancy for terrestrial networks in a region prone to seismic activity.
The LCMSSCS is notable for its domestic scope, as it does not cross international borders, making it a rare example of a purely national submarine cable. Its design as an unrepeatered system, with no powered amplifiers on the seabed, reduces operational and maintenance costs. The cable plays a vital role in supporting economic and industrial activities in the regions it serves, which include major ports, industrial hubs, and tourist destinations.
The LCMSSCS spans the Pacific coast of Mexico, connecting three landing points: Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in Guerrero, and Manzanillo in Colima. The route is divided into two main segments: approximately 120 km from Lázaro Cárdenas to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, and 202 km from Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to Manzanillo. These locations were strategically chosen due to their economic importance and geographic positioning.
Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas is a major industrial port and a key gateway for steel and container cargo. Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, located in Guerrero, is a prominent international tourist destination, while Manzanillo, in Colima, is Mexico's busiest Pacific port by cargo volume. The cable's route lies entirely within the territorial waters of Mexico, traversing the seismically active Pacific coast, which is part of the Cocos tectonic plate subduction zone. This region's vulnerability to earthquakes and landslides underscores the importance of the LCMSSCS in providing reliable connectivity.
The LCMSSCS is wholly owned by Telmex, a subsidiary of América Móvil, the largest telecommunications company in Latin America. The cable was constructed by Huawei Marine Networks, now known as HMN Technologies, and entered service in the fourth quarter of 2013. It was built as a "lit dark fiber" upgrade, activating pre-existing dark fiber with 2×100G Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) equipment rather than deploying entirely new infrastructure.
The project received environmental approval from Mexico's SEMARNAT in December 2007. With an estimated construction cost of approximately USD 8 million, the LCMSSCS is one of the most cost-effective submarine cable systems of its kind. Its design life extends to 2038, ensuring long-term support for the regions it connects. The cable's development reflects Mexico's commitment to strengthening its domestic telecommunications infrastructure, particularly in areas vulnerable to natural disasters.
Our monitoring of the Lazaro Cardenas-Manzanillo Santiago Submarine Cable System reveals performance metrics across 19 measured corridors. The cable achieves a best round-trip time (RTT) of 1 millisecond, with an average RTT of 154 milliseconds. These measurements indicate a reliable and efficient system for domestic data transmission along Mexico's Pacific coast.
The unrepeatered design of the LCMSSCS contributes to its operational stability, as it avoids the complexities associated with powered amplifiers on the seabed. This simplicity, combined with its strategic routing, ensures that the cable provides robust connectivity for industrial, commercial, and residential users in Michoacán, Guerrero, and Colima. The system's performance underscores its role as a critical infrastructure component in a region where reliable communication is essential for economic resilience and disaster recovery.
What next: Explore Lazaro Cardenas-Manzanillo Santiago Submarine Cable System (LCMSSCS) on the interactive submarine cable map, browse the full catalog of submarine cables, or follow live network events and real-world internet latency.
| Status | ✓ Normal |
|---|---|
| Last checked | 2026-10-09 17:31 |
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