French Guiana to gain connection to South America-Europe cable https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/french-guiana-to-gain-connection-to-south... French Guiana to gain connection to South America-Europe cable EllaLink won a contract to connect French Guiana to the South America-Europe submarine system, also called EllaLink, via a 2,100km cable branch. The contract was awarded by SPLANG, which is part of governance body Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG) and the associated municipalities of French Guiana, EllaLink said in a statement. The new infrastructure will have two fiber pairs and enable direct connections from French Guiana to Fortaleza, Brazil, which is the end point of the 8,000km intercontinentalcable. The branch will be built by Nokia’s Alcatel Submarine Networks (ANS) and will “use state-of-the-art optical technologies,” enabling latency of less than 80ms, according to Ellalink. The link will offer opportunities by delivering direct connectivity to Europe bypassing North America. “French Guiana is one of the nine outermost regions of the European Union and a land of strategic importance as it hosts the launch pads for Ariannespace rockets. Being so remote from continental Europe makes it difficult for the region to enjoy a direct and secure connection with the rest of Europe,” the company said. The project benefits from funding under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program and is aligned with the European Commission Digital Gateway priorities, it added. Contract values, as well as estimated construction and launch dates of the new system, were not provided. This is not the only cable that will soon arrive in French Guiana. In December, Digicel’s Deep Blue One submarine cable started being rolled out in Caribbean waters to connect mostly offshore oil and gas rigs belonging to Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname. When completed, Deep Blue One will span 2,000km and have five branching units: Rockly Bay and Chaguaramas (Trinidad & Tobago), Georgetown (Guyana), Paramaribo (Suriname) and Cayenne (French Guiana). The cable will also be built by Nokia’s ASN. The entire system is expected to be completed in early 2024. Lance Hinds Georgetown Guyana This message contains information that may be privileged and/or confidential and is the property of BrainStreet Technologies or BrainStreet Learning. The information contained herein is intended only for the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and others authorized to receive it . If you are not the intended recipient, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy, disseminate, distribute, or take any action in reliance to the contents of this information or any part thereof and it may be unlawful to do so. If you receive this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete all copies of this message from your system. BrainStreet Technologies or BrainStreet Learning are neither liable for the proper and complete transmission of the information contained in this communication nor any delay in its receipt.