The Infrastructure Ministry has taken a step forward in its plan to upgrade Cayman’s ageing network of subsea communications cables by enlisting a project delivery team.
It has entered into a strategic partnership with Cambridge Management Consultants which specialises in subsea cable projects, a 22 Nov. ministry press release said.
They will collaborate with WFN Strategies, an independent supplier of telecommunications engineering services headquartered in Virginia, US.
“Their combined expertise will provide invaluable support in areas such as project planning, system procurement and project execution,” the release said.
Cayman-based SBM International will also play a “pivotal role” in this collaborative effort, the ministry added.
Ranulf Scarbrough, a veteran of the telecommunications industry, has been selected to lead the initiative.
The total value of the contract is estimated to be $1.39 million.
Infrastructure Minister Jay Ebanks said in the release: “Digital connectivity is crucial to the way our islands live, work and play in a modern world.
“These resources will help us ensure the Cayman Islands can be confident that our digital connections to the outside world will match the critical dependence we place on them.
“I welcome these new capabilities to the ministry’s team and look forward to working with them on these important initiatives.”
The press release said the decision to prioritise modernising the subsea cables followed a recent external study.
A spokesperson for the ministry said the report of the study is unavailable to the public “as it contains sensitive information related to national security”.
Slow progress
In April this year, MP Joey Hew asked Ebanks in Parliament for an update on the plans for a new international submarine cable system.
Ebanks responded that the “essential and critical infrastructure” had been prioritised because existing communications systems are rapidly ageing.
He said the MAYA-1 cable from the US has been in place for 23 years and is nearing the end of its life, while the Liberty cable from Jamaica is 26 years old and also vulnerable.
“Considering the infrastructure is responsible for 99% of the international communications from these islands, we take this matter seriously,” he said.
As a result, his ministry delivered an outline business case report that explored and developed options for replacing the system, he told Parliament.
“The report has confirmed the existing systems are at risk and the government must act swiftly if the local telecom sectors will not,” he said.
Cabinet reviewed the report and authorised the ministry to explore interests for building the cable system independently or finding a partner investor.
A full business case with costs of the system and a detailed solution had been completed, and was due to go to Cabinet for review.
Ebanks said the ministry did not have the money to complete the project, but he expected the government to support funding in the next budget.
Also in April, the ministry issued a request for bids to carry out project management and advisory services for the delivery of a new international submarine cable system.
The request, posted in the government’s Public Purchasing Portal, closed on 30 June.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated at 1pm on 3 Dec. to include the response from the spokesperson for the infrastructure ministry.
Related Videos
