C3ntro Secures DFI Financing for Mexico-US Fiber Project

C3ntro Telecom secured a syndicated project finance facility from PROPARCO and DEG to build the Mexican segment of Project TIKVA, a 2,700km cross-border fiber network linking data hubs in Queretaro and Phoenix. The initiative aims to expand high-capacity connectivity between Mexico and the United States, supporting hyperscale, AI, and nearshoring demand while improving service in underserved corridors. 

C3ntro Telecom is doubling down on the backbone infrastructure behind Mexico’s fast-growing data center market, pairing a new development-finance-backed buildout with recent capacity upgrades on its core domestic routes.

“Closing this syndicated facility with PROPARCO and DEG (KfW Group) is a defining milestone for C3ntro and for Mexico’s digital infrastructure. Beyond enabling disciplined execution, this project is designed to deliver meaningful benefits for Mexico — strengthening backbone connectivity, helping narrow the digital divide by improving access and quality of service along underserved regions and Cities along the route, and supporting long-term economic growth and competitiveness as the country accelerates its digital transition,” says Simón Masri, President, C3ntro Telecom.

In an announcement made on Feb. 19, the Mexico-headquartered digital infrastructure and international telecommunications carrier said it executed a syndicated project finance facility from PROPARCO and DEG to develop the Mexican segment of “Project TIKVA,” its first cross-border long-haul fiber initiative.

According to the company, Project TIKVA is designed as a 2,700km fiber network linking hyperscale data centers in Queretaro, Mexico, and Phoenix, Arizona, two markets seeing accelerating demand tied to hyperscale expansion and AI workloads.

C3ntro says the project aims to strengthen Mexico’s long-haul fiber infrastructure by creating a new high-capacity connectivity corridor between Mexico and the United States. Beyond capacity, the company framed the buildout around broader goals including digital inclusion, economic development and regional competitiveness, particularly by improving connectivity across underserved corridors along the route, while aligning development with applicable international environmental and social standards.

The company did not disclose the size of the facility in the announcement.

The cross-border buildout builds on network modernization steps C3ntro has already taken inside Mexico. In January 2025, MBN reported that C3ntro deployed Infinera’s GX Series-based ICE6 800G solution and GX Open Line System to upgrade its long-haul network between Mexico City and Queretaro, enabling 1.6Tb/s (2x800G) optical redundant transmission to interconnect data centers across both cities.

That upgrade expanded C3ntro’s capacity options with 100G and 400G wavelengths and was positioned as a response to rising customer demand for high-bandwidth, reliable connectivity, particularly for AI-powered applications and cloud-based services.

“This transaction moves us decisively from vision and planning to full-scale execution. We value the partnership with PROPARCO and DEG (KfW Group) and their shared focus on building resilient infrastructure that expands opportunity, supporting nearshoring, cloud growth, and meaningful progress in narrowing the digital divide,” says Eli Sitt, CEO, C3ntro Telecom.

Both announcements highlight Queretaro’s centrality in Mexico’s digital infrastructure buildout. In its 2026 statement, C3ntro explicitly identified Queretaro and Phoenix as strategic hubs with rapid growth tied to hyperscale and AI demand. In the 2025 upgrade, Queretaro appeared as the anchor of a high-capacity corridor with Mexico City and as part of a broader effort to deliver scalable, redundant interconnection between major data center clusters.

C3ntro says it operates a fiber network of about 2,500km, including 700km of fiber metro rings and data center interconnect infrastructure in Queretaro, alongside connectivity across Mexico’s principal regions serving hyperscalers and carrier customers.