“Cabo Verde enjoys a unique geopolitical position in the Atlantic, equidistant between Europe and Latin America and close to Africa with a stable and solid commitment to order and democracy. All of which makes it the ideal hub for interconnecting these territories,” said Jose Luis Livramento, CEO of CVT. “EllaLink has worked hand in hand with CVTelecom over the last two years to ensure Cabo Verde will benefit from this unique opportunity to secure and grow its highly competitive international connectivity. Investing in the EllaLink system will position Cabo Verde as a leader in the digital transformation of the region.”
The EllaLink system is a four fibre-pair submarine cable connecting Europe and Latin America, due to go live in 2020. The partnership with Cabo Verde Telecom along with existing agreements and support from EllaLink’s equity sponsor Marguerite II, will enable the start of the project.
“This agreement with Cabo Verde Telecom is fundamental to the project allowing us to move ahead and start to build the EllaLink submarine cable system,” said Alfonso Gajate, chairman of the EllaLink board. “CVTelecom’s $25M investment in EllaLink marks an important strategic decision for the country, which will aid the development of its social and economic vision. Connecting Cabo Verde to Europe and Latin America with an initial capacity of 200Gbps will enable CVTelecom to create an Information Technology platform in the Atlantic. We are delighted to have confirmed our partnership with CVTelecom today and look forward to continuing to work together on the implementation of EllaLink.”
With this new connection to Praia, the Cabo Verde islands will have enhanced route diversity and resilience, as well as access to capacity that will contribute to the fast-paced internet and 5G data growth in the region. Alongside Praia, the landing sites in Fortaleza, Praia Grande in Brazil and Sines in Portugal have been secured.