Projeto Amazônia Conectada (PAC 01): Connecting the Brazilian Amazon
Projeto Amazônia Conectada (PAC 01) is a submarine cable system owned by the Government of Brazil, designed to provide connectivity across several locations in the Amazon region. With a total length of 800 kilometers, this cable links six landing points in Amazonas state:
Coari,
Iranduba,
Manacapuru,
Manaus,
Novo Airão, and
Tefé. The cable is listed as in service, with a recorded ready-for-service (RFS) year of 2017 according to GeoCables data.
What makes PAC 01 particularly notable is its role in connecting remote Amazonian communities, a region known for its challenging geography and limited infrastructure. However, many technical details about the cable, including its design capacity, fiber count, and supplier, are not publicly disclosed, leaving gaps in the understanding of its full capabilities.
Quick facts
| Name | Projeto Amazônia Conectada (PAC 01) |
| Length | 800 km |
| Ready-for-service year | 2017 (GeoCables database) |
| Owner | Government of Brazil |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Coari, Iranduba, Manacapuru, Manaus, Novo Airão, Tefé (all in Brazil) |
🗺 Show Projeto Amazônia Conectada (PAC 01) on the interactive cable map
Route
PAC 01 connects six landing points in the Amazonas state of Brazil, a vast region characterized by dense rainforest and extensive river systems. The cable's route includes Coari, Iranduba, Manacapuru, Manaus, Novo Airão, and Tefé, cities and towns situated along the Amazon River and its tributaries. Manaus, the state capital, serves as a critical hub for regional connectivity and is also linked to other submarine cables, such as
Norte Conectado (Infovia 01). Novo Airão is connected by PAC 02, another cable in the Projeto Amazônia Conectada family. These connections demonstrate an effort to build redundancy and expand internet access in the Amazon region.
Why it was built and what it carries
PAC 01 was built to address the connectivity challenges faced by communities in the Amazon, where terrestrial fiber networks are often impractical due to the region's dense forests and waterways. By deploying submarine cables along riverbeds, the Government of Brazil aims to improve internet access for public institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and government offices, as well as local residents. While the cable's specific data-carrying capacity is not disclosed, its strategic placement suggests a focus on enabling essential services and bridging the digital divide in remote areas.
History: what can be established
GeoCables records the ready-for-service year of PAC 01 as 2017, but public documentation and industry sources provide limited information about its deployment timeline. If conflicting dates exist elsewhere, they are not currently surfaced in widely available records. The cable's initiation aligns with broader Brazilian government initiatives to enhance connectivity in underserved regions, including the Norte Conectado program and other Projeto Amazônia Conectada systems like PAC 02.
Capacity and technology
The design capacity, number of fiber pairs, and supplier for PAC 01 are not disclosed in public sources, making it impossible to reliably comment on these aspects. Without operator documentation, speculation about the cable's technological specifications would be unwarranted. Given its ownership by the Government of Brazil, it is likely optimized for regional connectivity rather than high-capacity international data transfer.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical calculations indicate that light propagating one way over the 800 km fiber would take approximately 3.9 milliseconds. For round-trip time (RTT) over the wet segment, the floor is roughly 7.8 milliseconds. However, real-world latency is higher due to factors such as land tails, terminal equipment, and network routing. No live measurements are currently available for PAC 01, so the actual latency experienced by users cannot be confirmed.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
If PAC 01 experiences a fault, redundancy within the Amazon region is partially supported by other cables, such as Norte Conectado (Infovia 01 and Infovia 06) and PAC 02. However, the extent to which these systems can compensate depends on their capacity and geographic reach. Repairing submarine cables in the Amazon presents unique challenges, as the riverbed environment requires specialized equipment and expertise. Standard industry practices involve deploying cable ships or barges equipped for shallow-water operations.
Bottom line
- PAC 01 is an 800 km submarine cable connecting six locations in Amazonas state, Brazil.
- Owned by the Government of Brazil, it has been listed as in service since 2017.
- Technical details such as design capacity, fiber pairs, and supplier are not publicly disclosed.
- Theoretical latency over the wet segment is approximately 7.8 ms RTT, but real-world performance is unknown.
- Redundancy is provided by other cables in the region, including Norte Conectado and PAC 02.