New cable connects SouthAm Pacific and Atlantic coasts

Global telecoms group IPTP Networks inaugurated a cable connecting the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of South America.

The line runs 4,300km between Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, starting in Lima and reaching Equinix’s SP3 datacenter in São Paulo, Equinix said in a statement on Tuesday. 

From São Paulo, the cable can reach systems that land on Sâo Paulo state’s shores.

By being shorter than other available routes, the new system provides a latency 30% lower (29 milliseconds), according to the companies involved in the project.

"Equinix's IBX [international business exchange, or the SP3] in São Paulo has a strategic position for connecting the countries of the Pacific coast and also Bolivia, which has no exit to the sea," Eduardo Carvalho, Equinix Brazil chief, said in a statement.

Bolivia has had since September a connection to international telecom networks on the Pacific coast. This 2,000km network, managed by state-run telco Entel, has two stretches, from the port of Ilo to Lurín, both in Peru, and from Ilo to Desaguadero, on the edge of Lake Titicaca on the Peru-Bolivia border.

Nonetheless, demand for interconnection continues to increase in Latin America. 

According to the Global Interconnection Index (GXI), an annual market study published by Equinix, the region is expected to see the highest growth in interconnection speeds between 2019 and 2023, at a compound rate of 50%.

IPTP Networks targets mostly digital service providers in areas such as telecommunications, cloud and IT services, and digital media. 

In addition to Equinix’s SP3 datacenter, IPTP’s other points of presence in South America include datacenters of Americatel and Lumen, as well as its own, in Lima; a datacenter point in La Paz; and a datacenter managed by Mob Telecom in Fortaleza, Brazil. 

IPTP Networks says its global backbone is connected through 226 datacenters worldwide.

Founded in Cyprus in 1996, IPTP Networks also has offices in the Netherlands, the US, Russia, Hong Kong, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Vietnam. Its presence is covered globally with more than 200 PoPs and 77 hosting/colocation facilities.