1852: Irish Sea; 2013: Coral Gables

A communications company that traces its history back to the telegraph and 1850s Britain signed a lease at Columbus Center in Coral Gables, the seat of the company’s next frontier: the Americas.

The London-based Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) “owns or has access to many of the underseas cables that carry telecoms traffic” to Caribbean and Central American countries, according to the company’s website.

CWC will take space in the Columbus Center, an office complex at Alhambra Plaza in Coral Gables, “fit out” to the company’s requirements, according to a release. The company dates to a Manchester cotton merchant and the Magnetic Telegraph Company, which ran the telegraph service between London and Dublin.

Donna Abood of Colliers International South Florida acted as the leasing agent for the tenant, CBRE represented landlord USAA and the Beacon Council advised Miami as a suitable destination, the company said. — Emily Schmall