HICKORY, N.C. -- Corning Cable Systems, an industry-leading manufacturer of fiber optic and copper communications network infrastructure solutions, announces the completion of ARCOS1, the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System. NSW Submarine Cable Systems, a Corning Cable Systems company, was the consortium leader responsible for the complete turn-key solution, including the ongoing maintenance.The ARCOS1 network is a 9,000 km optical-ring system linking 15 countries, including the Bahamas, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, the United States and Venezuela. The complete ring began commercial operations on Dec. 25, 2001.Wolfgang Giebel, managing director of NSW, said, “The ARCOS project, completed in 18 months, establishes a record for such a complex network. This project demonstrates NSW’s leadership in repeaterless submarine cable systems worldwide.” Corning Cable Systems