Since 2020, demand for broadband connectivity has been growing in Africa, supported by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting accelerated digital transformation. While the trend is expected to continue, Cape Verde is investing in strengthening its Internet capacity.
EllaLink, an undersea fiber optic cable linking Europe to Latin America, has been commissioned in Cape Verde. This new infrastructure, which reinforces Internet connectivity in the country, has benefited from the technical and financial support of the government and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
EllaLink is managed by the historic operator Cabo Verde Telecom, which built its landing station in the industrial zone of Achada Grande Frente, in Praia. It is a latest generation submarine cable, made up of four pairs of fibers that can provide up to 30 Tb/s of capacity, high bandwidth and low latency.
It was in 2018 that Cape Verde committed to connect to the new cable following an agreement between Cabo Verde Telecom and EllaLink. In 2019, the country benefited from $25 million in financing from the EIB to mobilize the $60 million needed to carry out the project. The cable landed on the Cape Verdean coast on February 18, 2021.
According to João Domingos Correia, Chairman of the Board of Cabo Verde Telecom, “ the increase in capacity in Cape Verde was driven by the growing needs resulting from the ongoing digital transformation, by the digitization of consumer habits, and also by the Covid-19 pandemic ”.
The commissioning of the EllaLink cable will enable Cape Verde to benefit from reliable, efficient and secure connectivity. In addition, the new broadband infrastructure will enable the country to increase the quality of its service offer at the national level, but also to extend it to all of West Africa. “The truth is that the launch of this new EllaLink submarine cable is a big step forward in boosting the digital economy and the international attractiveness of Cape Verde ,” said EllaLink.