EllaLink Begins Installation of 2,100 km Subsea Cable to French Guiana

EllaLink and SPLANG have begun the marine installation phase of the Lum@link submarine cable system following the successful loading of the cable aboard the cable ship CS Île d’Yeu in Calais, France. The vessel has departed for Cayenne, French Guiana, where installation of the 2,100 km subsea branch will take place over the summer. The new system remains on schedule to enter commercial service before the end of 2026.

Lum@link extends the existing EllaLink transatlantic cable by connecting Cayenne to the EllaLink trunk network offshore from Fortaleza, Brazil. The project creates the first direct submarine cable linking French Guiana with continental Europe, providing optical connectivity from Cayenne to Sines, Portugal, while also strengthening links with Fortaleza. During the loading ceremony, representatives from SPLANG, the Government of Maranhão, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) inspected the cable and the two branching units that will support future extensions to São Luís in Maranhão and Salinópolis in Pará.

The project receives €29.9 million in funding from the European Commission through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Digital programme, managed by HaDEA. Additional investment comes from the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane (CTG), while AFD supports the French Guiana segment and both AFD and the IDB are financing future Brazilian branch connections. Once operational, Lum@link will establish a direct, sovereign international route linking French Guiana, northern Brazil, and Europe while supporting regional digital infrastructure, government services, research, and commercial connectivity.

• Marine installation has begun aboard the cable ship CS Île d’Yeu.
• Lum@link adds a 2,100 km (1,305 mile) branch from Cayenne to the existing EllaLink trunk.
• First direct submarine cable connecting French Guiana and continental Europe.
• Initial routes will connect Cayenne, Fortaleza and Sines.
• Future branching units will support São Luís (Maranhão) and Salinópolis (Pará).
• System is scheduled to enter service by the end of 2026.
• European Commission funding totals €29.9 million through the CEF Digital programme.
• Marine system supplier is Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN).

Philippe Dumont, CEO of EllaLink, said: “After years of planning, engineering and construction, marine installation is now under way. We expect to complete the lay over the summer, and the system is on track to be ready for service by the end of 2026, delivering a direct, sovereign route between French Guiana, Brazil and continental Europe.”

🌐 Analysis: Lum@link represents another step in the diversification of transatlantic connectivity beyond traditional North Atlantic routes. By extending the EllaLink system into French Guiana, the project provides government agencies, research institutions, cloud providers, and enterprises with a lower-latency, geographically diverse path between South America and Europe while reducing dependence on indirect Caribbean routing.

The project also reflects a broader trend of governments co-investing in strategic subsea infrastructure to strengthen digital sovereignty and regional resilience. Similar public-private investments are emerging across Europe, Latin America, and Asia as nations seek additional international landing points, redundant international capacity, and improved access to AI infrastructure and cloud services.