C3ntro Telecom Lands US$70 Million for Mexico–US Fiber Corridor

C3ntro secured US$70 million from PROPARCO and DEG to expand a cross-border fiber optic corridor between Mexico and the United States, strengthening connectivity for data centers, AI, and nearshoring-driven digital demand.

EU development finance institutions PROPARCO and DEG are backing one of Mexico’s most significant cross-border digital infrastructure projects in recent years, providing a combined US$70 million to C3ntro Telecom to expand fiber connectivity between Mexico and the United States. 

The financing supports Project Tikva, a new corridor designed to link Queretaro and Phoenix through high-capacity fiber infrastructure as demand rises from data centers, cloud services, AI workloads, and nearshoring-driven industrial activity.

According to PROPARCO, the package consists of two US$35 million loans, one from PROPARCO and one from DEG, and applies exclusively to the Mexican portion of the project. The French development finance institution said the investment will fund the deployment of nearly 2,852km of fiber optic cable and 28 in-line amplifiers along the route, strengthening reliability, and expanding coverage, particularly in underserved areas, the project is described as a network of more than 3,000km with 27 points of presence across eight cities in Mexico and the United States.

The initiative aims to build what C3ntro describes as the first fully integrated express corridor between Queretaro, one of Mexico’s top data center markets, and Phoenix, a key digital hub in the US Southwest. MBN reported in February that C3ntro had secured the PROPARCO-DEG financing for Project Tikva, describing it as a 2,700km Mexico–US fiber corridor that also builds on the company’s recent 800G network upgrades. 

Beyond its physical scale, the project is being positioned as a competitiveness play for Mexico’s digital economy. The network is designed for high-capacity transmission, low latency, and redundant architecture, which are critical for AI, cloud computing, big data, and digital financial services. The corridor will enable more direct interconnection between hyperscale data centers and regional operators, improving resilience and allowing bandwidth to scale with growth in sectors such as semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and high-performance computing. 

That industrial angle is central to the project’s rationale. As Mexico attracts more investment tied to nearshoring and digital services, infrastructure constraints increasingly extend beyond roads, ports, and power into data transport and network resilience. C3ntro executives say the financing moves the project from planning into execution and will support backbone connectivity, while helping narrow the digital divide and support long-term growth. PROPARCO likewise frames the deal as part of its strategy to reduce territorial and socioeconomic inequalities by financing essential infrastructure.

The expected social impact is also substantial. PROPARCO says the project could improve digital access for about 9.8 million people, equivalent to roughly 2.7 million households, across seven Mexican states. The network could benefit more than 27 million people in around 300 municipalities across both countries, including about 10 million living in vulnerable or digitally marginalized conditions.

Employment effects are another part of the investment case. The implementation and operation of the network is expected to generate more than 1,500 direct jobs and close to 8,000 indirect jobs over the coming years, while also supporting local value chains linked to technological infrastructure. That could make the project relevant not only for telecom operators and hyperscalers, but also for regional development agendas in states hoping to capture more value from digital infrastructure investment.