France Telecom Kicks off Americas-II Network

PARIS, Oct. 2 -- France Telecom has officially launched its Americas-II fiber optic submarine cable system. The network, lit in August of this year, links Florida to Sainte-Croix (American Virgin Islands), Puerto Rico, Martinique, Curacao, Venezuela, Trinidad, French Guyana and Brazil. From the landing point in French Guyana the network will extend to neighboring Surinam and Guyana.
A group of 15 telecommunications providers took part in the $350 million project. France Telecom has a nine- percent share in the enterprise. France Telecom's subsidiary, France Telecom Marine, laid over 2000 km of cable using the Fresnel -- one of four cable ships in its fleet.