4.8 Earthquake Near Guaymate Disrupts Submarine Cable Operations in Caribbean

Earthquake near Guaymate

On November 13, 2026, at 18:35 local time, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 occurred 10 km southwest of Guaymate, Dominican Republic. This event caused significant changes in the operation of several submarine cables within a radius of 500 km from the epicenter. Specifically, anomalies in transmission capacity were detected on cables passing through Punta Cana and surrounding areas.

Submarine Cables in the Affected Zone

Several key submarine cables are located in the earthquake zone, including:

• South America-1 (SAm-1), 25,000 km long, commissioned in 2001 and owned by Telxius, passes through Punta Cana, just 65.6 km from the epicenter.
• OlaLuz, also crossing Punta Cana at the same distance from the epicenter.
• Alisios, another cable passing through Punta Cana.
• GTMO-PR, 1,400 km long, commissioned in 2019 and owned by U.S. Government, runs through Punta Salinas, PR, 302.4 km from the epicenter.
• Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network (BDSNi), 2,735 km long, commissioned in 2006 and owned by Bahamas Telecommunications Company, passes through Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 346.8 km from the epicenter.
• Fibralink, 1,102 km long, commissioned in 2006 and owned by Liberty Networks, passes through Kaliko, Haiti, 376.3 km from the epicenter.
• Firmina, 14,517 km long, commissioned in 2026 and owned by Google, also crosses Punta Cana.
• Canoa, passing through Punta Cana.

Anomalies in Cable Operation

Our measurements showed significant deviations in round-trip times (RTT) on several cables:

• SAm-1: RTT increased from 135.2 ms to 235.8 ms (increase of 100.6 ms, deviation of 7.3σ).
• OlaLuz: RTT increased from 145.4 ms to 257.0 ms (increase of 111.6 ms, deviation of 4.7σ).
• Alisios: RTT rose from 173.2 ms to 222.5 ms (increase of 49.2 ms, deviation of 9.8σ).
• GTMO-PR: RTT increased from 71.0 ms to 192.3 ms (increase of 121.3 ms, deviation of 79.1σ).
• BDSNi: RTT increased from 32.9 ms to 138.0 ms (increase of 105.1 ms, deviation of 5.5σ).
• Fibralink: RTT increased from 67.1 ms to 166.8 ms (increase of 99.7 ms, deviation of 19.1σ).

No deviations were recorded on the cables Firmina and Canoa, indicating the resilience of their infrastructure.

Impact on Global Traffic

Earthquakes and subsequent anomalies in cable operation may affect internet traffic in the Caribbean region, as well as transit routes between North and South America. Temporary increases in latency may impact the quality of service, especially for users relying on affected cables. However, due to the presence of backup routes and load distribution, the global network remains functional.

Monitoring and Further Steps

We will continue to closely monitor the condition of submarine cables in the vicinity of the Dominican Republic. Special attention will be given to the SAm-1, OlaLuz, and GTMO-PR cables, where the most significant anomalies have been recorded. Additionally, we will monitor possible changes in the operation of other cables to respond promptly to any new deviations.