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In the wake of Hurricane Irma, the local government accelerated the process of burying overhead electrical and telephone networks to make them more resistant to extreme weather conditions. This long-term project is now nearing completion. The fourteen pre-defined areas, each comprising around 500 homes or business premises, are now covered by the fiber network. Pascal Peuchot, head of the territorial innovation, digital and energy transition department, explains: "There was one last area to be deployed in 2025 with Grande Saline, Tourterelle, Lurin, and Gouverneur. This was done during the year and was opened for commercialization in September. So, to date, all network elements have been deployed to enable full coverage. " However, he notes that there are still private areas where the installation of connection ducts has not been requested to reach homes. He also cites two areas served by public roads: the Anse des Lézards and Terre Neuve neighborhoods. In the former, road repair work is currently underway and should be completed by the end of 2026, accompanied by the arrival of fiber optics. In Terre Neuve, Pascal Peuchot emphasizes that "work will be launched urgently to lay conduits starting in February so as not to have to wait for road work," which could take several years.
Although all neighborhoods are open to fiber optics, the manager points out that it is "a never-ending race" due to the construction of new houses and buildings, and therefore extensions. "It's a day-to-day management task," he smiles. Of the 7,000 connections identified for construction, 3,325 have been created for subscribers. At an installation rate of around 200 connections per quarter, Pascal Peuchot points out. "Of these existing connections, more than 80% are active," the technician assures us.
An important milestone will be reached in the second half of the year with the commissioning of the new NRO (fiber connection node) building in Saint-Jean. This structure will also facilitate connection to the future submarine cable, whose entry point on the island has been installed at the exit of Ti Saint-Jean beach.
The next step will be to achieve the national target of completely phasing out the copper network by 2030. In this regard, Saint-Barth Digital seems to be ahead of many other territories.
