Pan-American Crossing (PAC)

Pan-American Crossing (PAC): a trans-Pacific submarine cable

The Pan-American Crossing (PAC) is a submarine telecommunications cable system spanning approximately 10,000 km, connecting multiple landing points across the Americas and the Pacific. Owned by Cirion Technologies, the cable has been operational since 2000 according to GeoCables records and is listed as currently in service. Its route includes landings in Fort Amador (Panama), Grover Beach (United States), Mazatlán (Mexico), Tijuana (Mexico), and Unqui (Costa Rica). What makes PAC particularly interesting is the lack of publicly disclosed information about its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology. This absence of detail leaves room for speculation about its technical specifications and operational capabilities, but such speculation cannot be substantiated without operator documentation. Additionally, its latency performance, computed and measured, provides insight into the physical limitations and realities of submarine cable networks.

Quick facts

Cable name	Pan-American Crossing (PAC)
Length	10,000 km
Ready-for-service year	2000 (GeoCables database; industry sources not cited)
Owner	Cirion Technologies
Status	In service
Design capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed
Landing points	Fort Amador (Panama), Grover Beach (United States), Mazatlán (Mexico), Tijuana (Mexico), Unqui (Costa Rica)

Show Pan-American Crossing (PAC) on the interactive cable map

Route

PAC connects five landing points across the Americas and the Pacific. Starting in Fort Amador, Panama, the cable extends northward to Grover Beach, California, in the United States. It also connects Mazatlán and Tijuana in Mexico, as well as Unqui in Costa Rica. This route spans diverse geographic regions, linking Central America, North America, and the Pacific coast. Fort Amador serves as a hub for other cables such as South American Crossing (SAC), while Grover Beach hosts connections to Bifrost, JUNO, and Pacific Crossing-1 (PC-1). Mazatlán is also connected to TMX5, indicating redundancy options in the region.

Why it was built and what it carries

The PAC cable was likely built to enhance connectivity between Central America, Mexico, and the United States, facilitating international data traffic across the Americas. Submarine cables like PAC are typically designed to support high-capacity data transmission for telecommunications, internet services, and enterprise networks. However, without disclosed design capacity or fiber pair data, the specific capabilities of PAC remain unclear.

History: what can be established

GeoCables records indicate that PAC became ready for service in 2000. No conflicting dates have been surfaced from industry sources, leaving this timeline uncontested. The cable was developed during a period of rapid expansion in global submarine cable systems, driven by increasing demand for international bandwidth. While the supplier and specific construction details are not disclosed, PAC's operational status as of today confirms its longevity and continued relevance.

Capacity and technology

Publicly available information does not specify PAC's design capacity, fiber pair count, or the technology employed. Without operator documentation, it is impossible to determine whether PAC has undergone upgrades or remains in its original configuration. Submarine cables typically use wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology to maximize capacity, but attributing this to PAC without evidence would be speculative.

Latency: the physics

Theoretical latency for PAC's wet segment is approximately 49.0 ms one-way and 98.0 ms round-trip, calculated based on the speed of light in fiber (200-204,000 km/s) over its 10,000 km length. Real-world latency measurements, however, are higher due to additional delays from land tails, terminal equipment, and routing. GeoCables live measurements indicate the following:

• Fort Amador -> Grover Beach: min 115.0 ms, avg 118.9 ms
• Grover Beach -> Fort Amador: min 119.7 ms, avg 125.5 ms
• Minsk -> Fort Amador: min 195.4 ms, avg 196.1 ms
• Sao Paulo -> Fort Amador: min 164.2 ms, avg 164.7 ms
• Singapore -> Fort Amador: min 283.7 ms, avg 290.1 ms

These measurements reflect the full internet path, not solely the cable itself, and include routing inefficiencies and terrestrial network delays.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

In the event of a failure, redundancy in the PAC corridor is supported by other cables at its landing points. Fort Amador hosts South American Crossing (SAC), while Grover Beach connects to Bifrost, JUNO, and Pacific Crossing-1 (PC-1). Mazatlán is linked to TMX5. Standard industry practices for submarine cable repair include deploying specialized cable ships to locate and fix faults, which can take days to weeks depending on the nature of the issue and weather conditions.

Bottom line

• PAC spans 10,000 km, connecting Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States.
• Owned by Cirion Technologies, it has been in service since 2000.
• Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
• Measured latency exceeds theoretical calculations, reflecting real-world routing complexities.
• Redundancy is supported by other cables at its landing points.