Baja California Sur has completed its transition from legacy telecommunications systems to modern fiber-optic infrastructure, making it the first state in Mexico to do so. Valerio Torre, Director of Technological Development, announced the milestone at the Digital Evolution event in Los Cabos on June 5.
The state has fully retired its older digital telephony, TDM, and SDH-based networks. All telecommunications now run on fiber-optic, IP, and Ethernet infrastructure. Torre said BCS served as a testing ground for new technology strategies because of the unique challenges posed by the peninsula’s geographic isolation.
Submarine Cable Provides Hurricane-Season Backup
A central piece of the upgrade is the TMX5 submarine cable system. The 383-kilometer line runs at depths of up to 3,126 meters, connecting San José del Cabo with Mazatlán and Santa Rosalía with Guaymas on the mainland Sonora and Sinaloa coasts.
The dual-route design is engineered to provide redundancy during hurricane season. BCS has long been vulnerable to telecommunications outages when storms damage above-ground infrastructure or sever a single connection point to the mainland. The TMX5 system gives the state a backup path if one link goes down.
Hotels and Data Centers on the Horizon
Reliable high-speed connectivity in Los Cabos hotels is now an expansion priority, according to the announcement. The hospitality sector is one of the first industries targeted for the upgraded infrastructure, a move that could improve Wi-Fi quality at resorts and vacation rentals across the corridor.
Two new data centers are also slated to break ground this year in BCS. These facilities would allow more digital services to be hosted locally rather than routed through mainland Mexico or the United States, reducing latency for users on the peninsula.
What Changed for Residents
BCS residents who rely on VoIP calls, video conferencing, or streaming services stand to see the most immediate benefits. The peninsula’s old telecommunications backbone was a persistent weak point, with limited bandwidth and frequent disruptions. Fiber-optic lines offer significantly higher capacity and faster speeds than the copper and microwave systems they replaced.
The transition also matters for the growing number of remote workers in La Paz and Los Cabos. Telmex already offers fiber-optic internet through much of La Paz, and the statewide infrastructure upgrade should expand coverage and reliability across smaller communities as well.
The announcement was first reported by the Gringo Gazette.