SubCom’s ECLink Regional Upgrade Will Enable C&W Networks to Fulfill Broadband, IP Capacity and Service Demands Across a Fast-Growing Region

EATONTOWN, NJ and MIAMI, FL–(Marketwired – Sep 21, 2016) – C&W Networks, a division of Cable & Wireless Communications, (C&W), one of the largest full service communications and entertainment providers in the Caribbean and Latin American region, now part of Liberty Global (LiLAC Group), is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL) company and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, to complete an immediate upgrade to the ECLink (Trinidad-Curacao) system. ECLink is the latest regional system within C&W Networks’ 48,000 km of subsea fiber to receive an upgrade to its capacity using TE SubCom technology. The agreement upholds TE SubCom’s presence in the Caribbean and extends its 15-year-long relationship with C&W Networks.

Highlights / Key Facts

ECLink Upgrade

• Built in 2007 by TE SubCom, ECLink is a 938 km regional undersea cable system connecting Trinidad and Curacao.
• The upgraded system will be designed to accommodate five 100 Gb plug-and-play wavelengths and will have two 100 Gb wavelengths activated.
• The plug-and-play design enables cable station personnel to easily install and provision the transceiver to efficiently provide additional capacity and meet consistently growing customer capacity needs.

Fifteen Years of Successful Partnership

• The ECLink upgrade follows a similar 100 Gb plug-and-play upgrade to C&W Networks’ CFX-1, the fastest route between the United States and Colombia.
• CFX-1 is a 2,500 km regional cable system manufactured and installed by TE SubCom and entered into service in 2008 to provide high bandwidth connectivity between Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A., and Cartagena, Colombia and a branch to Morant Point, Jamaica.
• Since first engaging with C&W Networks in 2001, TE SubCom has constructed and upgraded three regional systems, including the ARCOS, Trinidad Curacao and CFX-1 networks. Each originally designed for 10Gbps transmission, TE SubCom has, in recent years, increased capacity by 2Tb/s across the three networks.

“We’re excited to once again partner with TE SubCom and pleased to have chosen them as the provider for the ECLink regional upgrade,” said Paul Scott, president of C&W Networks. “Our capacity upgrades across the Pan-Caribbean region will help us meet the high performance and network reliability needed so we can offer better and faster services that meet the ever evolving needs of our wholesale carrier customers.”

“We value C&W Networks’ continued preference for our company’s technology portfolio and regional expertise in support of these upgrades,” said Michael Rieger, vice president, TE SubCom. “As with all our customers, our goal is to build a partnership based on long-term vision, support and dependability.”

About TE SubCom
TE SubCom (SubCom), a TE Connectivity Ltd. company, is an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology and marine services, and a leading global supplier for today’s undersea communications requirements. As a vertically integrated supplier, SubCom designs, manufactures, deploys, and maintains the industry’s most reliable fiber optic cable systems. Its solutions include long-haul and regional systems, repeaterless networks, capacity upgrades, offshore oil and gas, and scientific research applications. SubCom brings end-to-end network knowledge and global experience to support on-time delivery and the needs of customers worldwide. To date, the company has deployed more than 100 cable systems and enough subsea communication cable to circle the Earth 15 times at the equator. For more information, visit www.SubCom.com.

About TE Connectivity
TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL) is a $12 billion global technology leader. Our connectivity and sensor solutions are essential in today’s increasingly connected world. We collaborate with engineers to transform their concepts into creations – redefining what’s possible using intelligent, efficient and high-performing TE products and solutions proven in harsh environments. Our 72,000 people, including over 7,000 engineers, partner with customers in close to 150 countries across a wide range of industries. We believe EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS – www.TE.com. 

About C&W Networks
C&W Networks is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cable & Wireless Communications and a wholesale telecommunications service provider that offers broadband, IP capacity and a growing portfolio of managed services and integrated solutions to global, regional and local telecom carriers, TV cable companies, Internet Service Providers and Network Integrators. C&W Networks operates the largest subsea multi-ring fibre-optic network throughout the greater Caribbean, Central American and Andean region along with the most comprehensive fully meshed MPLS network in the region. Connecting over 40 countries, the company’s fully protected ringed submarine fibre optic network spans more than 48,000km. Cable routes include the Caribbean Optical-ring System (ARCOS-1), Colombia-Florida Express (CFX-1), EC-Link cable system, Fibralink, Maya 1, Eastern Caribbean Fiber Express (ECFS), Taino-Carib, East-West, Cayman-Jamaica Fibre system, Caribbean-Bermuda U.S (CBUS), Americas II, Gemini Bermuda, Pan America (PAN-AM), Antillas 1 and Pacific Caribbean Cable System (PCCS). For more information, visit: www.cwnetworks.com.

About C&W Communications
CWC is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, CWC provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers.

Learn more at www.cwc.com, or follow C&W on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

About Liberty Global
Liberty Global is the world’s largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enables us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 59 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve 11 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points.

Liberty Global’s businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group (NASDAQ: LBTYA) (NASDAQ: LBTYB) (NASDAQ: LBTYK) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group (NASDAQ: LILA) (NASDAQ: LILAK) (OTC PINK: LILAB), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets.

For more information, please visit www.libertyglobal.com.