The Caribbean island of Martinique will receive island-wide fiber to the home broadband service by 2019 and upgrades for many of the island’s ADSL lines while the overseas department (départements et territoires d’outre-mer) of France awaits fiber service.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced the agreement in principle to finance the four-year fiber project under the island’s Public Network Initiative administered by local authorities.

The project’s budget is $155.39 million, with about $34 million paid upfront by Martinique and the rest financed by the island’s four arrondissements and France itself.

By 2019, 80,000 fiber to the home connections will be installed on Martinique, starting with priority institutions including schools, hospitals, government offices and office parks. Until the fiber upgrades are complete Martinique will upgrade existing ADSL and satellite connections to ensure 90 percent of the island has at least 8Mbps broadband service until the fiber network arrives to replace DSL.

Within two years, Martinique’s broadband speeds will exceed the average speeds rural American and Canadian broadband users can receive.