EllaLink, the owner of a high-capacity, optic-fiber submarine cable directly connecting Europe and Latin America, and the Ministère de la Transformation Numérique et de la Modernisation de l’Administration (MTNMA) of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have signed a contract for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a second international link that will directly connect the country to Madrid, Spain.
The new diverse infrastructure will provide Mauritania with direct cost-effective international connectivity up to European main exchanges.
The project includes the construction of a cable landing station (CLS) in Nouadhibou, the second largest city of Mauritania and a 500+ km branch connected to EllaLink’s existing subsea cable system. Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has been selected to build the subsea section, which will include two fiber pairs and use state-of-the-art optical technologies such as a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer with wavelength selective switch (ROADM WSS) branching unit. EllaLink will also be in charge of the operation and maintenance (O&M) of this new infrastructure.
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The construction has started and the infrastructure is projected to be ready for service in early 2027. The new infrastructure will deliver an initial 200-Gbps, low-latency direct circuit to the national operators, between the new cable landing station of Nouadhibou and EllaLink’s point of presence (PoP) in Madrid.
This new diverse submarine cable will reinforce Mauritania’s international connectivity, reducing the risk of disruption of the Mauritanian economy and supporting the digital transformation of the country, with capacity set to grow over the next 25 years.
The project is supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and by the European Commission’s (EC) Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital program.
EllaLink’s new connection in Mauritania confirms the company’s strategy to expand connectivity across geographies along its transatlantic route. Philippe Dumont, CEO of EllaLink, said:
We are proud to support Mauritania’s vision of advancing its digital economy. This cutting-edge connection will not only strengthen Mauritania’s international network but also offer direct, cost-effective access to key internet exchanges (IX) in Europe.
