KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Two years after Haiti was struck by a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the country is set to receive a major boost with the delivery of a US$16m 200km undersea cable which will link the country to the world via internet connectivity, thanks to Digicel.

The project – which is being undertaken in conjunction with Columbus Networks, the undersea fibre-optic cable network provider in the Pan Caribbean Americas region, and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris et NYSE : ALU) – will dramatically expand the range and quality of fixed and mobile broadband services and content delivered throughout the country.

The earthquake in January 2010 damaged or destroyed much of Haiti’s communications network – including the country’s only other subsea cable link which, to date, has not been fully restored. As a result, the Haitian population and the Haitian economy have suffered from the lack of high-capacity broadband connectivity that is pivotal to business, public sector and social activity.

Digicel Group