UTS has completed the delivery of 200 Megabyte (MB) fiber optic cable circuit to the Coastguard headquarters in Simpson Bay. The new connection is a symmetrical 200MB (200MB upload and 200MB download) link which will allow the local coastguard office to communicate with other facilities in Curacao and The Netherlands. The IT infrastructure of the local Coastguard will communicate directly with the servers in The Netherlands. No data will be stored locally and all software and data updates will be done in the data center of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands. The more stable connection and excellent bandwidth will allow for this exchange of information more easily and effectively.
The connection was realized with the fiber optic capacity on the SSC cable, which also terminates in the UTS building in Philipsburg, and connects Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and St. Barths. This fiber optic cable system will allow these markets access to high speed services and open new possibilities in terms of telecommunications services.
Connecting the Coastguard is part of an ongoing UTS project which will offer fiber optic connectivity to business customers along specific routes in phase 1 of the project. The company is investing in a fiber optic network throughout various areas of the island and is now moving on to the next stage of connecting some business customers to offer the much higher bandwidth speeds that are possible on a fiber optic cable network. “We are happy to have the Coastguard on board and look forward to connecting more new customers as we continue to expand our fiber optic network to the main business areas of the island; later moving on to the next stage, which is to connect residential customers with a fiber to the home solution” says UTS Marketing and Communication Officer, Ivy Lambert. “The international trend that all telecom services will rely heavily on data connectivity is one we recognized many years ago. As such we have made the necessary preparations and investments to be able to offer our customers increased bandwidth in future. These investments will not only benefit customers connecting directly to the fiber optic network, but will also benefit customers making use of our wireless and mobile services. We are realizing a fiber ring which will connect our various transmitter sites, preparing for the next generation of mobile technology, which will invariably be more data-hungry as well.” Lambert continues.
UTS Eastern Caribbean CEO, Mr. Glen A. Carty further explains, citing: “UTS will continue diligently as we move towards our ultimate goal to become the best quad play provider in the Caribbean; providing the best possible service to our business and residential customers.”