EllaLink and SPLANG, the local public company for the digital development of French Guiana, have begun the construction of the EllaLink cable extension to include Cayenne, French Guiana.

Dubbed the Lum@link system, the new 2,100km branch will secure connectivity between French Guiana and Europe across two fiber pairs.

EllaLink currently connects Latin America and Europe, landing in Fortaleza, Brazil; Praia, Cape Verde; Casablanca, Morocco; and Funchal and Sines, Portugal.

The Lum@link system is expected to be ready for service in 2026, after first being announced in January this year.

The project also includes the construction of a cable landing station in Cayenne.

Alcatel Submarine Networks has been selected to build the subsea cable and EllaLink will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the new cable.

EllaLink and SPLANG also said they have plans to develop a branch to Brazil’s Amazon region, creating another subsea route between Belem, Fortaleza, and Cayenne.

“We are honored to have been selected by SPLANG, both for the construction and the operation and maintenance of the Lum@link system. Since its inception, the EllaLink system has been designed to enable the gradual integration of new markets thanks to the inclusion of seven branching units,” said Vincent Gatineau, senior vice president of subsea infrastructure development at EllaLink.

“This is the fourth branch EllaLink is constructing from the main system, confirming the expertise of our team to manage the complete life cycle of telecom submarine cable infrastructures.”

Marie-Lucienne Rattier, president of SPLANG, added: “By directly connecting French Guiana to Europe and Brazil, we are contributing to the region’s digital transformation, addressing the digital divide by providing French Guiana with the low latency, high-capacity infrastructure necessary for economic growth, improved access to education and healthcare, and overall social development.”

SPLANG is an abbbreivation for the Société Publique Locale pour l’Aménagement Numérique de la Guyane, and is the local authorities’ operational arm for digital development in French Guiana. It was formed in 2014 to deploy digital infrastructure such as fiber and satellite networks.