Mauritaniat Light-Emitting Cable Branch

Mauritania has landed a new 670 km subsea branch of the EllaLink cable in Nouadhibou, providing high-capacity, low-latency connectivity to Europe and enhancing national digital resilience.

Overview

The new Mauritania branch of the EllaLink submarine cable extends over 670 kilometers from the main EllaLink trunk to a newly constructed cable landing station in Nouadhibou, the country's second-largest city . This branch gives Mauritania a second direct international connection, complementing the existing Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable that lands in Nouakchott, and provides route diversity to improve network resilience and digital sovereignty .

Technical Specifications

• Fibre pairs: 2
• Capacity: Multi-gigabit from launch, scalable to multi-terabit
• Technology: State-of-the-art optical systems, including ROADM WSS branching units
• Latency: Low-latency direct path to European cloud, AI, and data services
• Operator: EllaLink, responsible for operation and maintenance The infrastructure is designed to accommodate decades of traffic growth, supporting both public and private sector digital services .

Strategic and Economic Impact

The project is co-funded by the Mauritanian State and the European Union through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and supported by the European Investment Bank . It strengthens Mauritania's digital sovereignty, enabling secure, direct access to European digital hubs and cloud services. Key sectors expected to benefit include:

• E-government
• Education
• Healthcare
• Agriculture
• Transport
• Energy The new branch also positions Mauritania as a full participant in the global telecommunications architecture, reducing dependence on a single cable route and mitigating risks from undersea cable disruptions .

Infrastructure and Access

A neutral cable landing station has been built in Nouadhibou, allowing national operators to access the network via two diverse routes. The initial service will provide 200 Gbps low-latency circuits to EllaLink's Point of Presence in Madrid, with capacity set to expand over the next 25 years .

Timeline

• Announcement of landing: May 4, 2026
• Construction and operation: Expected to be ready for service in early 2027
• Total project cost: €29.5 million, with €9.6 million funded by the EU CEF Digital program This project marks a major milestone in Mauritania's digital transformation, enhancing connectivity, supporting economic growth, and enabling strategic technological development.