[2019-01-10] Europe and Latin America linked by new submarine cable that passes by Cabo Verde

Source: Macauhub

EllaLink Ireland and Alcatel Submarine Networks have begun construction of the EllaLink submarine cable system, which will link Europe to Latin America, according to a joint statement released in Dublin and Paris.

The EllaLink system aims to meet the demand for traffic between the two continents, and will have data centres in Madrid, Lisbon, Marseille, Fortaleza (Brazilian state of Ceará) and São Paulo, as well as links to Cabo Verde (Cape Verde), the Canary Islands and Madeira.

The submarine cable, costing an estimated US$185 million, will have a capacity of 72 terabits per second in four pairs of fiber optic cables, is expected to start operating in 2020 and will be anchored in Fortaleza (Brazil) and Sines (Portugal).

In June 2018, Cabo Verde signed a binding memorandum of understanding with EllaLink Ireland to participate in this submarine cable project between Europe and Latin America.

In a statement released on Wednesday in Praia, the president of Cabo Verde Telecom said that the country benefits from a unique geopolitical position in the Atlantic, “equidistant between Europe and Latin America and close to the African coast, with a stable and solid commitment to order and democracy, which makes it the ideal platform for interconnecting these territories.”

José Luís Livramento also said in the statement that “investing in the EllaLink system will position Cabo Verde as one of the leaders in the region’s digital transformation.”