With 4G network and fiber, Huawei is putting Belize on the digital map

Belize, a small nation in Central America, has been rapidly entering the digital age through a number of network deployments in partnership with Chinese information and communications technology vendor Huawei.
The latest is a subsea fiber optic cable project set for completion in the third quarter of 2017, designed to link mainland Belize with San Pedro Island, which sits about 24 kilometers offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Local operator Belize Telemedia has dubbed the new connection the Strategic Evolution Underwater Link; it’s part of larger effort to modernize telecom infrastructure in the country, which has a population of less 400,000 people. BTL offers landline, internet and wireless services, with the wireless services coming under its mobile subsidiary DigiCell.
Company representatives said the new subsea cable will deliver 32 terabytes per second of data throughput over 40 channels at 100 gigabits per fiber with eight fiber pairs.
“We have made it our mission to put Belize in the top three in the region in terms of connectivity and broadband speeds,” said Anwar Barrow, chairman of the BTL executive committee. “The Strategic Evolution Underwater Link is another step in achieving our goal, along with the build-out of nationwide 4G LTE. Once again we turn to our technology partner Huawei and Huawei Marine for their experience and expertise on this undersea cable project.”
The LTE network rollout, also the result of a partnership with Huawei, started earlier this year and is expected to go live in December.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with BTL, this time to construct a next-generation undersea cable system that will use advanced technology to bring fast, reliable and low-cost connectivity to the people of Belize,” Mike Constable, CEO of Huawei Marine, said. “Combined with our efforts to launch a nationwide 4G LTE network, this project demonstrates our strong commitment to providing leading-edge, high-speed internet service to all Belizeans and contributing to the social and economic development of the country.”