Curaçao’s proposal to link to Aruba’s CELIA undersea cable is more than a technical upgrade — it is a strategic move to secure the island’s digital future and reduce its dependence on the Flow/LLA telecom monopoly.
According to government documents submitted to Parliament, most of Curaçao’s current undersea cables are nearing the end of their technical lifespan. Replacements are now essential for both economic stability and national security.
A Single Point of Failure
Curaçao currently depends on three international cable connections, two of which date back to the early 2000s. Only the PCCS cable (2015) is relatively modern. However, all cables land at the same point in Vredenberg, creating a dangerous single point of failure. A storm, accident, or technical disruption at that site could disconnect the entire island from the global internet.
Aruba’s CELIA Cable: A Second Digital Gateway
By connecting through Aruba, Curaçao would gain a new landing point, greatly improving the island’s resilience and strengthening its international connectivity.
The CELIA system would also offer a faster, more direct route to major data centers and cloud infrastructure in the United States, reducing latency — a major advantage for cloud computing, financial services, and online learning.
Partnership With Aruba and European Co-Funding
Government documents reveal that SETAR Aruba has already secured agreements with Orange, Telxius, and APUA, along with European co-financing. Aruba has far more available bandwidth than it needs and can share part of that capacity with Curaçao.
Two options are being evaluated:
- A dedicated fiber pair connecting Curaçao directly to the U.S.
- A reserved bandwidth capacity of up to 1,000 Gbps.
The dedicated fiber pair offers near-unlimited long-term capacity but at a higher cost. The reserved bandwidth option is cheaper but would need upgrading in 10–15 years.
A Critical Deadline
Contractors for the CELIA project have already allocated production capacity. Curaçao must commit before May 2026 to be included in the current construction phase. Missing the deadline could force Curaçao to build its own cable later at nearly three times the cost, with long delays due to global shortages of cable-laying ships.
Breaking Flow’s Dominance
Flow/LLA currently controls nearly all of Curaçao’s international connectivity, limiting competition and keeping prices high. With CELIA, Curaçao would gain an independent connection that other telecom providers, data centers, and government agencies can access — lowering costs and encouraging digital innovation.
Regional Cooperation Revived
Curaçao and Aruba have a long history of working together on telecommunications infrastructure, including the Alonso de Ojeda cable in the 1990s. The CELIA partnership continues this tradition, with SETAR managing technical execution and Curaçao joining as a strategic partner.
Bonaire May Join Later
Government reports also highlight that Bonaire’s telecom infrastructure is similarly outdated. A future extension of the CELIA system to Bonaire may be explored after Curaçao’s connection is secured.
A 25-Year Digital Foundation
The CELIA project represents a long-term investment in digital sovereignty, providing Curaçao with a secure, resilient communications backbone for the next two to three decades. Parliament must now decide whether to approve the project before the window of opportunity closes.
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