Express Internet cable connection via Panamá

Aug 21, 2008 – Citizens of Costa Rica should be getting better Internet service soon, according to the phone company and an underwater cable operation.

The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad plans to connect with the express cable that runs under the ocean from northern Miami, Florida, to Cartagena, Colombia. Costa Rica will connect to the CFX-1 cable via a fiber optic cable off Panama’s shore in the Caribbean.

The new connection will strengthen the Internet signal and speed in both Panama and Costa Rica, said Claudio Bermúdez, sub-director of the phone company.

The company Columbus Networks, owner of the ARCOS cable in the Caribbean will administer the project. When asked about safety, Eduardo Gandarilla, vice president of Columbus Networks, explained that the cable unlike others will be deeper down under the ocean and stronger, avoiding risks from illegal fishing and shrimp boats who can damage cables. The cables that carry Costa Rica’s Internet signals to the world have been cut several times by fishing boat anchors.

Both Bermúdez and Gandarilla said the project would help boost foreign investment in Costa Rica.

Source: amcostarica.com