Liberty Networks, a provider of enterprise connectivity and digital infrastructure across Latin America and the Caribbean, has joined forces with Venezuela's state-owned telecommunications operator Compañía Anónima Nacional de Teléfonos de Venezuela (CANTV) to launch Fénix, a new submarine cable system designed to directly connect Venezuela and Curaçao for the first time.
The 378-kilometer (235-mile) cable will deliver a minimum ring capacity of 14Tbps and feature two landing points: Camuri, situated roughly 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Caracas, and Willemstad on the island of Curaçao. This marks a significant milestone in regional connectivity, as no direct subsea link has previously existed between the two destinations.
Fénix will be woven into Liberty Networks' broader regional submarine cable ecosystem, connecting directly to the Curaçao IP node. The system will also interconnect with CANTV's Festoon submarine cable, extending enhanced connectivity throughout Venezuela. The Curaçao node itself links to the Arcos, EC-Link, Jerry Newton, and PCCS systems operated by Liberty Networks, providing route diversity, high availability, and resilience for communications with Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ray Collins, senior vice president of Infrastructure and Corporate Strategy at Liberty Latin America and CEO of Liberty Networks, said the project arrives at a strategic moment for Venezuela as it seeks to expand international capacity and access to a region that is vital for the country's digital advancement. Engineer Colmenares M., vice president of technology and infrastructure at CANTV, emphasized that the initiative represents a significant step forward for the national telecommunications sector.
The Fénix project underscores a broader trend of investment in subsea infrastructure across Latin America, where improving international connectivity is seen as a catalyst for economic growth and digital inclusion. By linking Venezuela directly to Curaçao's established network of cables, the system is expected to enhance service reliability and open new avenues for data traffic, benefiting enterprises and consumers alike.