As the Montserrat Submarine Fibre Optic Project continues to make steady progress towards completion this year, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) survey is currently being conducted to ensure all potential impacts are identified, and measures are implemented before the installation of the fibre optic cable.
Southern Caribbean Fibre, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Digicel group, will be installing the new subsea fibre optic cable system which will connect Montserrat into the Southern Caribbean Fibre network, thereby re-establishing the island’s fibre connectivity with the rest of the world. The project will involve landing a single cable segment at Bunkum Bay; the cable will be buried from the shoreline up to the newly built beach manhole. This work is scheduled to be completed by July 2020.
In light of this, members of the community are encouraged to complete the EIA survey online at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MNI_EIA . The responses will inform the project team of any concerns persons may have about the fibre optic cables being laid near shore marine environment and buried in Bunkum Bay.
While encouraging persons to complete the survey, Head of the Department for Information Technology and e-Government Services (DITES) and Project Manager for the Montserrat Submarine Fibre Project, Denzil West, also gave assurances that the submarine fibre project remains on track for completion in the third quarter of 2020.
“Although some timelines have slipped as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdowns locally and internationally; a lot of work continues to prepare for the laying of the cable. It is anticipated that the new fibre optic connection to the internet will be ready for service by August this year,” stated Mr. West.
The EIA survey, which would have normally been conducted on the ground and in person, is being facilitated online on surveymonkey. The survey will close on May 18, 2020.