Where are the fiber optic cables spliced ​​in Costa Rica

Costa Rica's fiber optic cables are primarily spliced and landed at Limón on the Caribbean coast and Esterillos, Puntarenas on the Pacific coast, connecting international submarine cables to domestic networks.

Key International Landing Points

• Limón (Caribbean Coast): This is the landing site for several major submarine cables, including MAYA-1, AMX-1, and ARCOS-1. Limón serves as a critical hub for connecting Costa Rica to the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and other Caribbean nations, providing redundancy and high-speed international connectivity .
• Esterillos, Puntarenas (Pacific Coast): The Pan American Crossing (PAC) cable lands here, offering an alternative route to the Caribbean-based cables. This Pacific landing point is strategically important for connecting Costa Rica to Asian markets and enhancing network redundancy .
• TAM-1 Cable: Scheduled to be operational by late 2025, TAM-1 will integrate with Costa Rica's domestic network, landing along the Atlantic coast and connecting the country to the United States and South America. This next-generation system will support 24 fiber pairs and high-capacity transmission, further strengthening Costa Rica's international connectivity .

Domestic Integration and Splicing

Once the submarine cables land, they are spliced into Costa Rica's domestic fiber-optic network, which spans urban and rural areas. The domestic network is managed by ICE (Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad) and its telecom brand kölbi, ensuring that international data traffic is distributed efficiently across the country . The domestic fiber network currently covers 78% of urban households and 45% of rural areas, with ongoing expansion projects to increase coverage and bandwidth .

Strategic Importance

These splicing and landing points are crucial for:

• Redundancy: Multiple landing sites ensure uninterrupted connectivity even if one cable experiences issues.
• Bandwidth Capacity: High-capacity cables like AMX-1 and TAM-1 provide terabits per second of data transmission, supporting Costa Rica's growing digital economy .
• International Connectivity: The dual-coast approach allows Costa Rica to connect efficiently to both North and South America, as well as Asia, enhancing its role as a regional digital hub . In summary, Costa Rica's fiber optic infrastructure relies on splicing and landing at Limón and Esterillos, Puntarenas, with integration into a robust domestic network managed by ICE/kölbi, ensuring high-speed, reliable, and redundant internet connectivity across the country.