Seaborn Networks to build U.S.-to-Brazil submarine cable network

Set to go active in 2014, the new Seabras-1 submarine cable will offer 32 Tbps of capacity connecting Miami and Sao Paulo, with a branch that lands in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The service provider's timing couldn't be better as the government's adoption of a National Broadband Plan and the upcoming 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games will drive greater growth of voice, video and data services throughout Brazil.

A Frost & Sullivan report forecast that growth in Brazil's telecom investments will total $35 billion from 2011 through 2016. Over the past three years, Seaborn and a number of traditional telcos, including BT (NYSE: BT) , Level 3 (NYSE: LVLT), and Orange Business Services, have made continual investments in Latin America.

While Seaborn is new, its founders--including CEO Larry Schwartz--have plenty of experience building out large submarine cable networks. Before the creation of Seaborn Networks, Schwartz led Bridgehouse Marine, an installer of submarine fiber optic cables systems for the telecommunications industry.

This experience will come in handy as the provider begins building out its network and targeting potential wholesale customers in both Brazil and the United States.