Subsea cable firm EllaLink is to connect its flagship cable to Mauritania.

The company this week announced it had signed a contract with the Ministère de la Transformation Numérique et de la Modernisation de l’Administration (MTNMA) of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a second international link that will directly connect the Northwest African country to Europe and Brazil.

EllaLink’s cable runs from Portugal to Brazil, landing in mainland Africa and several islands en route. From Lisbon and Sines in Portugal, the cable is connected terrestrially to Ellalink’s PoP in Madrid, Spain.

The extension will see a new 500km (310.6 miles) branch to connect to the existing main trunk and a new cable landing station built in Nouadhibou, the second largest city in Mauritania.

Alcatel Submarine Networks has been selected to build the two-fiber-pair system. The construction has started, and the infrastructure is projected to be ready for service in early 2027.

The project is being co-financed by the European Investment Bank and the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility.

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 in Europe.”

The original EllaLink cable was laid between late 2020 and 2021, running from Fortaleza in Brazil via Cabo Verde and Madeira to Sines in Portugal, with a branch to Morocco. The 5,900 km (3,666 miles) cable offers around 100Tbps across four fiber pairs. A new extension to French Guiana is in development.

Only one subsea cable currently lands in Mauritania, with the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) system landing in Nouakchott. Built around 2012, ACE runs from France down to South Africa, but has been hit with multiple cable cuts and issues over the years.

Mauritania has three broadband Internet operators: incumbent operator Mauritel (which offers services under the Moov Mauritel name and is owned by E&’s Maroc Telecom), Mattel (owned by Telecel), and Chinguitel.

Mauritania’s first national data center, the Nouakchott Data Hub, launched in May. The European Investment Bank (EIB) provided a €15 million ($17.32m) loan to back the development of a Tier III-certified data center.

The new facility is managed by International Mauritania Telecom (IMT), a consortium that includes the government (via Mauripost) alongside the country’s three telecom operators. IMT is also the Mauritanian participant in the ACE cable.