Laying of fibre optic cables along the North Coast Highway will be fast tracked

Jamaica currently needs 600,000 metres of new fibre optic cables to plug the gap in its public internet infrastructure, which would allow for free Wi-Fi services in several public spaces across the island.

This move to plug this gap will see the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) expanding its own fibre optic and microwave communication infrastructure outside of the Kingston Metropolitan Area to all parishes.  

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Technology Minister Daryl Vaz outlined the programme being rolled out for the provision of this 600,000 metres of fibre optic cables, which would extend the GOJ’s fibre optic backbone to all parishes

He pointed to the results of a fibre optic cable gap analysis which was undertaken to identify areas across the country, where there is currently little or no access to private dark fibre strands, which the Government could seek to leverage. The analysis showed that roughly 200,000 metres of new fibre optic cables must be installed between St James and Portland along the North Coast Highway.

Another 100,000 metres must be installed along sections of the South Coast to repair/replace damaged cables and an additional 300,000 metres of new fibre optic cables must be installed from each Municipal Corporation into the interior of each parish to facilitate connections to select government entities such as public educational institutions.

Private sector assistance to provide connectivity

At present, the GOJ with the assistance from the private sector has expanded its fibre optic footprint to provide connectivity to St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, Westmoreland, St James, St Thomas and St Ann. Vaz disclosed that the GOJ has gotten a commitment from a private Internet Service Provider (ISP) that it will provide fibre connectivity to Trelawny and Hanover before the end of October.

St Mary and Portland will be connected when the fibre optic cables are installed along the North Coast Highway.  In addition, the technology minister advised Parliament that, “I have met with the team at the National Works Agency and have received assurance that the installation of the fibre optic cables along the North Coast Highway will be fast tracked; I am advised that the tenders for these works are being developed with a view that these cables will be in place by December 2021″.

While working to extend the fibre optic infrastructure, Vaz explained that simultaneous efforts to install the microwave backbone are taking place.  He announced that contracts for the main microwave backbone radios are to be awarded by end of next month.

Back up connectivity through microwave network

A microwave network will be installed to provide backup connectivity in the event the fibre optic cables are damaged.  The microwave network will also enable fixed wireless connectivity to remote sites such as schools and has a capacity of 1.5 Gigabit with the ability to scale as needed.

Vaz highlighted that one of the biggest risks being faced with the expansion of the fibre optic and microwave backbone is the disruption to the international supply chain because of the COVID-19 pandemic noting that the pandemic has resulted in significant delays in the delivery of accessories and equipment, including routers, which are critical to the execution of the work. This has seen the factoring in of significant delays, which affect not only the government’s activities but also those of private sector contractors and partners, who are working on the project. 

He noted that the expanded connectivity between rural cable operators and Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ) to facilitate the transmission of 24/7 educational content to students living in rural communities served by the rural cable operators. Also the GOJ has expanded fibre optic cable and microwave connectivity to Municipal Corporations and Parish Courts.

So far the municipal corporations and parish courts of the St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth and Westmoreland municipal corporations and parish courts have been connected by fibre.

“We have provided microwave connectivity to all parish courts to provide redundant connections in the event of cable damage. The municipal corporations will be similarly connected to the microwave backbone, when the microwave radios are installed,” Vaz said.

Digital Television Network

The intention of this initiative is to provide PBCJ with the capacity to broadcast digitally over the air using digital television technology. The primary aim of this initiative is to enable PBCJ to transmit over the air multiple channels of educational content on a 24/7 basis to allow students without internet access to be able to access educational content via their television, even if the television is not a smart TV.

However, given the complexity of implementing a Free to Air Digital Television system before the full implementation of the Digital Switch Over and supporting standards and regulations, Vaz mentioned that the PBCJ Free to Air Digital Television capacity proposal will now be executed as part of the longer term National Broadband Initiative.

In the interim, the Universal Service Fund has provided funding support of more than $20 million to PBCJ to increase the number of playout channels that will be available on subscriber cable television networks and particularly those operating in rural communities. This in turn means that students living in rural communities with cable television subscriptions will have access to more educational content through their cable service.