• Mauritania EllaLink landing station 46% complete, officials say

• Commissioning targeted for first quarter 2027

• Cable to add 200 Gbps, reduce ACE reliance

Work on the landing station for the EllaLink international subsea cable in Mauritania is 46% complete, authorities said, adding that construction will be accelerated to meet the timeline for commissioning in the first quarter of 2027.

Ahmed Salem Ould Bede, Minister of Digital Transformation and Modernization of Administration, gave the update on Friday, Feb. 27, after meeting a high-level EllaLink delegation led by CEO Philippe Dumont. The discussions focused on technical progress and the steps needed to stay on schedule.

Progress on key components

Authorities said major components of the project are advancing as planned. Marine works, including the laying of the cable off the Mauritanian coast, are on schedule. The beach manhole, which serves as the junction between the subsea cable and the terrestrial network, is nearing completion.

Construction of the landing station and the terrestrial link connecting it to the beach manhole is also progressing steadily. Work on the station began in Nouadhibou in July 2025. Initial commissioning is now targeted for early 2027, rather than the previously scheduled 2028 date.

Strengthening international connectivity

The new cable will initially provide 200 gigabits per second (Gbps) of international capacity. The system can be upgraded to 500 Gbps, with a total design capacity of 12 terabits. Authorities said the project will strengthen Mauritania’s digital infrastructure by complementing the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) cable.

Mauritania connected to the ACE cable in 2011 and continues to rely heavily on it for international connectivity. That reliance leaves the country exposed to disruptions. Repeated outages on the cable have caused nationwide internet and mobile service interruptions affecting public institutions, businesses and households. Even scheduled maintenance has led to temporary service cuts or sharp declines in connection speeds due to the absence of a fully operational backup link.

Isaac K. Kassouwi