The project for the design and installation of a local fibre optic infrastructure aims to develop the digital network in the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, and more widely in western French Guiana. Today, the whole of the town is already connected.
- 23 May 2019
‘This project concerns the laying of ducting and the installation of fibre optic cables to allow the interconnection of municipal sites (municipal buildings, schools, etc.), future carbet huts and sites of economic interest (public authorities, business zones). This first framework phase for the fibre optic infrastructure is of a suitable scale to be integrated into the next concession for the roll-out of FTTH in the town, so that operators can provide its inhabitants with a very high-speed internet connection.’
For the French Guiana regional authority (Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane, or CTG), digital coverage in its territory is a major challenge, resulting from specific demographic and geographical factors. The project for the design and installation of a local fibre optic infrastructure aims to solve some of the broadband access issues in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and western French Guiana.
Sharing infrastructures
This project is characterised by a sharing of infrastructures, to ensure the coherent deployment of digital infrastructures across French Guiana, as defined in its Territorial Road Map for Digital Development (Schéma Directeur Territorial d’Aménagement Numérique de La Réunion, or SDTAN).
The new fibre optic network will benefit various services:
(a) municipalities;(b) public Wi-Fi connection points;(c) sites of economic interest (public authorities, business zones);(d) the future fibre to the home (FTTH) network.
Providing the population with a fibre optic connection
The project is also a first framework phase in the fibre optic infrastructure, which has been sized appropriately for integration within the next concession for the roll-out of FTTH in the town, so that operators can provide the people of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni with a very high speed internet connection in the near future. This project involves the digging of 85 km of trenches and the laying of 345 km of fibre optic cables.
The community is planning public Wi-Fi connection points in areas of the town with the poorest connection levels. Currently, there are plans to bring connectivity to the whole town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, as far as the village of Sparouine on the road to Apatou.
Meanwhile, the SPLANG/CTG will launch two public service delegations for very high speed internet access across the whole territory, either by fibre optic (FTTH) or by satellite.
Video
The SPLANG installs the infrastructures required for fibre optic in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
Total investment and European funding
Total investment for the ‘Design and Installation of a Local Fibre Optic Infrastructure’ project is EUR 6 367 086; the European Regional Development Fund contribution is EUR 2 564 025 through the Guiana Regional Council Regional Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the ‘services and applications for citizens’ and ‘urban areas’ priorities.