• Submitted by: manso
• Business and Economy
• 01 / 24 / 2011

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Caracas, Jan 23 (Prensa Latina) The Venezuela-Cuba fiber optic cable shows the joint technological potencial of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.

The ceremony starting the cable's installation in Camuri Chico, Vargas, and headed by Science and Technology Minister Ricardo Menendez, involved Ambassadors Rogelio Polanco of Cuba, Clinton Stone of Jamaica, Zhao Rongxian of China and Jean Marc Lafore of France.

Maduro told Prensa Latina that the some $70 million ALBA 1 Project of the Sino-French Alcatel Shanghai Bell Company is the first step to connect South America and the Caribbean through the Internet, data transmission, video and telephone. "It caps the technology revolution, we are connecting to the world."

Venezuela launched the Simon Bolivar Satellite in 2009, marking the birth of its satellite power that will be expanded further this decade. The submarine cable will help expand connection among the countries in the region. We are making history through self-improvement, to rise to the top level of technology, said Maduro.

This weekend the French vessel "Ile de Batz" started to roll out the over 1,600km submarine fiber optic cable connecting Camuri Chico-Playa Siboney (Santiago de Cuba)-Jamaica. The ship is to arrive in Cuba February 8. Cuba and Venezuela will manage the cable through the joint venture Telecommunications Gran Caribe S.A. that will help Cuba multiply by 3,000 data transmission speed, with band width of 640 gigabytes, facilitating 10 million simultaneous telephone calls.sus/emw/rc/dor.Escrito por Estela McCollin.

Source: PL