The Parliament of the Cayman Islands has approved legislation allowing the government to partner with a private firm for the construction and operation of a new subsea cable.
Planning and infrastructure minister Jay Ebanks tabled the Submarine Cable (Telecommunications Resilience) Bill, 2025 on Wednesday, 10 December.
He said the new law would strengthen Cayman’s digital infrastructure, improve redundancy and ensure service continuity for public safety, education, business and daily life.
The bill defines the full cable system from subsea cable to landing station, beach manhole and onshore facilities.
It places it under the Information and Communications Technology Authority Act, 2019 and the Utility Regulation and Competition Act, 2024.
The legislation empowers the government to partner with a qualified commercial operator under safeguards including service continuity, risk allocation and step-in rights.
Ebanks stressed that selection of a private partner must follow the Procurement Act with financial oversight via the Public Management and Finance Act.
Clause by clause, the minister outlined the bill.
One of the clauses limits public funding to a “once and for all” fixed contribution during construction in line with public finance rules, with no further payments permitted.
Ebanks said this structure provides certainty for the Treasury and operator while delivering a system designed to serve Cayman over multiple decades and a “firm legal foundation”.
He emphasised that the bill creates “legal space” for Cayman to proceed “responsibly [and] strategically” through competition, without choosing a route, awarding a contract or setting commercial terms.
The minister noted that the government completed a 28-day public consultation with feedback from stakeholders taken into account.
He said his ministry also held detailed discussions with potential commercial partners and developed stringent requirements to ensure any solution is fit for purpose.
The public-private model, used “extensively” in the UK and Europe, complements Cayman’s telecom market while balancing cost, risk and benefit, he said.
Ebanks called for cross-party support to benefit “every constituency and every person who calls these islands home”.
Opposition leader Joseph Hew confirmed the opposition’s support and welcomed further information as commercial partnerships are explored.
On 12 December, following the bill’s third reading, it was passed without amendments.
