Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has signed off on the license to Telecomunicaciones Gran Caribe (TGC)—a Venezuelan- Cuban consortium— for a $70 million fiberoptic cable to link Havana, Kingston, Caracas and the rest of the world.

Jamaica’s Daily Gleaner reported Dec. 11 that the three operators angling for a partner- ship with TGC to build the Jamaica-Cuba link are still awaiting a decision on whose proposal is most attractive to the state-run consortium.

LIME Jamaica confirms it’s still in talks with TGC, while Columbus Communications Jamaica and Digicel Group declined comment on the negotiations as of press time.

The government says more linkages with the world would bring down the cost of broadband, creating comparative advantage for the country.

TGC was the sole bidder for the submarine cable to be laid between Jamaica and Cuba, with a spur to Haiti, which lies just west of the two countries. The next step is for the licensee to build out its infrastructure.

The Cuba/Venezuela leg is expected to link to Trinidad & Tobago and the Dutch-speaking island of Curaçao.